Cases blown up at Airport

Press, 16 September 1986, Page 1

Cases blown up at Airport

By

PETER LUKE

An Air New Zealand passenger whose suitcases were blown up at Christchurch Airport yesterday had created the worst situation in the world for security staff, said the airport’s Civil Aviation manager, Mr John Laing. By disappearing from the aircraft without explanation and leaving his suitcases aboard, he had caused a highly volatile situation, Mr Laing said. Security staff had no choice but to have the suitcases blown up. The Air India crash in the Atlantic Ocean in June last, year had been caused by a bomb in the suitcase of a passenger who did not board the plane, Mr Laing said. That crash had killed al! 327 people aboard. Sergeant Les Bruce, of the airport police, said the missing passenger had been seen leaving the Wellington-bound aircraft at 11.45 a.m., while other passengers were still boarding.

The flight was delayed while other passengers were taken from the aircraft to identity their baggage. Two suitcases were unaccounted for.

The police would like to talk to the missing passenger, but had not yet succeeded in tracing him, Sergeant Bruce said. The two suitcases were blown up by a Labour Department explosives team.

Although they were found to have contained only clothes, Mr Laing had no regrets about the security staff action. Suspicious unclaimed luggage posed a threat not only to passengers, . apd crew but also to baggage handlers and security staff.

X-ray checks could be made on such luggage, but these were not conclusive and put those making the checks at risk, he said.

Mr Laing said there were strict checks to make certain that all passengers who had checked in were on the aircraft