Still reeling from the September 11 attacks, the international aviation industry has been dealt another blow with the near-hit of an Israeli civilian jet by a shoulder-held missile, Thursday, November 28. The Boeing 757, owned by Israel’s Arkia Charter Company, was targeted while taking off from Kenya’s Mombasa airport.
Following Thursday’s terror attack, civilian airlines were urged to consider installing expensive on-board defense systems that would enable their aircrafts to divert surface-to-air missiles in flight. Israel's national airline El Al is believed to be the only civilian carrier today equipped with anti-missile defense systems, reported The Times.
While heat-seeking missiles are relatively cheap, portable and widely available, missile-defense technology, which decoys approaching missiles, is extremely expensive for large airline fleets. Installing the system aboard a commercial aircraft is estimated to cost up to three million dollars, according to Aviation Security International magazine.
Acknowledging such new risks is also likely to send insurance premiums higher yet for struggling international airlines, former head of security at the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told Boston Globe. Several incidents of terrorists firing portable surface-to-air missiles at civilian aircraft were reported in Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Sri Lanka during the past decade. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
