Brace for the new threat to air passenger safety

The carriage of electronic devices could now face scrutiny, and India needs to take proactive steps to ensure air safety given its flawed security system

The recent and startling incidents in West Asia of exploding pagers and walkie-talkies have had another effect. A question mark now hangs over the safety of flights. The Israelis, with the blessings of the Americans and the western world, have been running amok. Do the powers realise that the backlash is going to affect innocent air travellers? When the COVID-19 pandemic grounded flights worldwide, the world pointed the finger at China. It is now obvious that Israel has escalated matters and its tactics may pose risks to aviation.

The VVIP loophole in India

In the 1970s and 1980s, hijacking was the method used to settle political scores. It fizzled out slowly until the 9/11 tragedy that set off worldwide paranoia. The security checks introduced took the pleasure out of flying. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) came up with several safety standards to prevent another 9/11 event. The world, except India, exempted only a limited number of dignitaries from the mandatory security checks. In 1989, in India, there were just five categories of persons exempt from security checks (even Union Cabinet ministers were not exempt; the Governors of States were added to the list later). But India is the only country where individuals with very suspect and shady antecedents get VVIP status because of the illogical exemption granted by the government to please its political colleagues.

The new Israeli-designed threat is going to be a major issue in India’s perforated safety shield. It is perforated as government agencies are alleged to have infiltrated the phones of several citizens, including those in the judiciary, with the repeated use of Pegasus spyware.

Those of us who have travelled by air will be aware of safety announcements requiring you to put your mobile phone in ‘flight mode’ before the aircraft moves out of the bay. The announcement to turn off flight mode is made only after landing. But there are many passengers who do not observe this rule ever in India. If this happened elsewhere, they could be arrested as it is a criminal offence.

The restriction on cellphones came into effect after an airline crash was identified to have been induced by an incoming signal to a live phone on board. This triggered a wrong input to the aircraft autopilot. Only a few survived that crash. Since then, mobile phones have become more advanced and airliners now have built-in shields for the systems to prevent cell phone interference. Even so, all airlines continue to observe this restriction as a safety precaution in case there is a shield failure.

The issue of decompression

The latest threat, from West Asia, has the potential to mushroom into a major problem. The explosions that could be triggered in small electronic devices, as seen in Lebanon, may cause damage only to a few in the proximity of the device, due to the miniature size of the device. These explosions were obviously triggered by an implanted code.

But has anyone imagined the consequences if a few of these explosions in small devices are triggered in an aircraft cabin during flight at high altitude? They could start a cabin fire. A series of small explosions could damage the pressure bulkhead and the resultant decompression would require oxygen masks to be deployed for use by passengers. When there is a cabin fire and there is also oxygen, the result is a catastrophe and a catch-22 situation. If you use the oxygen, you are dead due to the fire. If you do not use the oxygen, you are brain dead. There is only a small window of time for one to become brain dead if you do not get your oxygen mask on immediately (see table).

By turning a blind eye to the ‘battlefield’ activities of Israel, the western world is only causing irreparable damage to safe air travel. Does the West realise the consequences?

There are many restrictions on checking in electronic devices in one’s baggage, but what happens to vulnerable electronic devices in the cabin that can now be a potential safety threat? Will airlines now ban the carriage of these devices? It is obvious that it is an external signal that triggers the explosions in these electronic devices. Airlines will now have to ban the use of Wi-Fi on board so that no coded device can be triggered. One cannot prevent a determined terrorist from masquerading as an innocent air traveller — 9/11 showed us what can happen.

The ICAO safety manual makes it mandatory that hand baggage has to be carried on board by the passenger concerned only. In India, so-called VVIPs and even government officials have their bags brought on board by others. This is a serious offence. How difficult will it be for a terrorist to pay one to place something inside one of these VVIP bags that has bypassed security? Imagine the result if such a bag is triggered when the aircraft is about to land in crowded cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, or Chennai?

Have a safety net

After the incidents in Lebanon, one can expect enhanced security, worldwide, soon. In fact, all passengers flying from Beirut have now been banned from carrying pagers and walkie-talkies and this applies to checked and carry-on luggage and cargo. The airline industry will suffer until governments wake up to the dangerous path that Israel is treading.

Meanwhile, the Indian government has to take proactive steps such as banning Wi-Fi on board and even consider having signal shields in and around airport terminals. After all, when 5G was being introduced, several safety steps were introduced before they were permitted in the vicinity of airports. Proactive action is what is required for air safety.

Captain A. (Mohan) Ranganathan is a former airline instructor pilot and aviation safety adviser. He is also a former member of the Civil Aviation Safety Advisory Council (CASAC), India

Published - September 23, 2024 12:08 am IST