Europe and US in aviation security talks
18 / 05 / 2017
European and US officials have met in Brussels to discuss the "serious evolving threats to aviation security".
European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos, and European Commissioner for Transport, Violeta Bulc, hosted a delegation from the US, led by Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke, to discuss issues related to aviation security and safety.
In a statement, the commission said: "At the meeting, both sides exchanged information on the serious evolving threats to aviation security and approaches to confronting such threats.
"Participants provided insight into existing aviation security standards and detection capabilities as well as recent security enhancements on both sides of the Atlantic related to large electronic devices placed in checked baggage."
Both the US and some European countries have issued a laptop ban in the cabin of passenger aircraft from certain Middle East states. There is speculation that the ban may be extended worldwide.
In a report this week, IATA estimated that the terrorist attacks in Western Europe in late-2015 and early-2016 reduced European airlines’ international passenger traffic by an estimated 1.6% in the following year compared to what would otherwise have happened.
Said IATA: "We estimate that this reduced European airlines’ 2016 revenues by around US$2.5bn. Nonetheless, by contrast to previous major shock events such as after 9/11, the impact has been only temporary."
The US and the European Union at the Brussels meeting "reaffirmed their commitment to continue working closely together on aviation security generally, including meeting next week in Washington to further assess shared risks and solutions for protecting airline passengers, whilst ensuring the smooth functioning of global air travel."
