GENEVA: A day after pressing Europe’s governments, US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Friday gained the support of the world’s airlines for the Obama administration’s goal of ramping up aviation security to keep terrorists off planes.
Napolitano met with the global industry group for airlines and more than two dozen CEOs of major carriers, telling a news conference in Geneva that industry and governments would work closely on improving data collection, information sharing, passenger vetting and other security standards.
“We must move as an international community of responsible nations to deal with any threats to aviation security,” she said. “Governments and the carriers themselves need to work together to improve the air environment.”
Napolitano was on the second stop of a tour to toughen global flight regulations after meeting Thursday with European justice ministers, many of whom are wary about body scanners the US wants to use to enhance airport screening.
She said Friday that Washington believes in the technology but wasn’t demanding the same from other nations with privacy concerns.
The meeting with industry was hailed by the head of the International Air Transport Association, which represents about 230 airlines responsible for 90 percent of all flight traffic.
