Australia assessing measures to guard commercial aircraft against missile attacks

Airline Industry Information, Sept 4, 2003

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2003 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

Australia is reportedly assessing the need for high-tech measures to guard against surface-to-air missile attacks on passenger aircraft.

The threat of a surface-to-air missile attack is viewed as more likely than another 11 September-style hijacking, according to the Australian Prime Minister John Howard. However, Howard said missile countermeasures were costly and there had to be a cost-benefit analysis before any decision on applying them to commercial aviation.

The Australian government launched a review of aviation security last month to ensure the industry was able to meet all current and future threats following a series of incidents on domestic flights, reported Reuters.

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