Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., February 22, 2008 Adar1 16, 5768 | | Israel Time: 20:54 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

El Al airplane landing in Ben-Gurion Airport. (AP) Last update - 12:08 22/02/2008 Flights to Israel to buckle up half-hour before landing due to Hezbollah hijacking threats By Reuters Tags: Aviation, Israel, Mughniyah  Israel is requiring that passengers on all incoming flights be confined to their seats in the half-hour before landing as part of heightened precautions against hijacking, aviation security sources said on Friday. They said the Transport Ministry order, issued to local and foreign airlines on Wednesday, cited threats by Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas to avenge the February 12 assassination of their operations chief by waging "open war" against Israel. "Our new policy is that planes lock their flight-deck doors and activate the 'please fasten seat belts' signs when 290 km away from Israel," one Israeli security source said. Advertisement "It's a precaution against hijackers storming the cockpit in the final approach, given the current terrorist threat level," the source said, adding that previously it was up to the airlines to decide when to ask passengers to remain seated. The Transport Ministry had no immediate comment. Israel has dramatically stepped up security measures since Imad Mughniyah, Hezbollah's military mastermind, died in a Damascus car bombing last week. Hezbollah and its patron Iran blamed Israel for the killing, though Israel denied involvement. The new Israeli aviation security standards may remain in force even if Hezbollah's threats of reprisals are not being borne out and the recent alert level is lowered, sources said. Israel last year began requiring that all pilots who fly to its airports use the Security Code System (SCS), a local invention designed to ensure any plane commandeered for an al Qaeda-style ramming attack is spotted and intercepted in time. On most flights, which approach Israel from the west, pilots equipped with the SCS must enter a personalized, technologically secured code when 290 km out, so that air traffic controllers in Tel Aviv know the cockpit is in the right hands. Aviation experts have suggested that hijackers could wait for SCS compliance to have been established before striking. Keeping passengers seated until landing would help diminish such a threat, an Israeli security source said. "The new regulations are definitely linked to our introduction of the SCS," the source said. Since the al Qaeda attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States has instituted mandatory pre-landing seating regulations for flights to some of its airports. There are also U.S. rules against incoming passengers congregating in plane aisles. Related articles: Israel embassies on high alert following Mughniyah killing Panel: Aviation safety in Israel is severely neglected, may deteriorate Bookmark to del.icio.us   The black sheep The U.S. freezes Assad's cousin's assets for trying to weaken Iraq and Lebanon. Pristina, Ramallah Yasser Abed Rabbo called on the West Bank to declare independence like Kosovo.   1.   Why? 13:15  |  A mother 22/02/08   2.   So now it`s all up to the seat-belt to stop the high-jacking? 13:33  |  AA 22/02/08   3.   Vengance 14:47  |  K 22/02/08   4.   Scared of their shadows. 15:00  |  George 22/02/08   5.   Security demands to be always on alert. 15:22  |  Jean Van Daem 22/02/08   6.   #2 AA - You have a better idea?? 15:40  |  * BEN JABO 22/02/08   7.   Bladder Control 16:05  |  Leon 22/02/08   8.   Last time I was aboard a Passenger Aircraft 16:07  |  Paul Wood 22/02/08   9.   #3 Ben Jabo 16:12  |  Chris Linthwaite 22/02/08   10.   I agree with nr. 1 16:25  |  may 22/02/08   11.   this is soo funny 16:26  |  julie 22/02/08   12.   Israel should stop engaging in Terrorism & Occupation. 16:38  |  POP 22/02/08   13.   #5 Paul Wood - If passenger has a problem 16:56  |  * BEN JABO 22/02/08   14.   Iran 18:43  |  BRL 22/02/08

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