Russian military official calls for laws to allow interception of hijacked aircraft

Airline Industry Information, April 7, 2005

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

Russian laws should allow the armed forces to shoot down hijacked aircraft, according to Col-Gen Yuri Solovyov, the head of the military's Special Purpose Command, which has the task of protecting Moscow's air space.

Solovyov has called for laws that would allow hijacked aircraft to be shot down as a part of stricter countermeasures against terrorism. The air defence official said that the current laws do not allow him to carry out the job he has been set to do, reported the Interfax-Military news service. While he has the task of protecting the Russian capital against air strikes at peacetime or in war, the current laws ban interception of aircraft carrying passengers, The Associated Press reported.

Russia, which saw suicide bombers attack two passenger aircraft on 24 August 2004, killing 90 people, has recently passed laws to strengthen the security in the aviation industry. These reportedly include the deployment of armed marshals aboard aircraft.

((Comments on this story may be sent to aii.feedback@m2.com))