Security beefed up at Cochin International Airport

The security arrangements at Cochin International Airport here have been further tightened on Wednesday after the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) altered the airport management of a threat from Sri Lanka, following the latest outbreak of clashes between Lankan Tigers and the government. Acting on the instruction of CIAL, managing director Shriram Bharath, an emergency security meeting was convened by airport director A.C.K.Nair at the airport on Wednesday.

The airports in Southern states have been receiving threat calls recently. In an anonymous message on Tuesday, the Mangalore police were alerted to the planting of a bomb in an aircraft of Quatar Airways. The Kochi Office of the Soudi Arabian Airlines received an anonymous message on Monady of a possible attempt to plant bomb in Soudi Arabian flights.

The cargo, luggage and hand luggage of the passengers of various flights, especially Sri Lankan flights, are being checked thoroughly, ladder point checking has been tightened, The police have urged to the strengthening of the surveilance activities in the city side of the airport.

The police dog squad was pressed into service at the airport on Tuesday. The cargo, hand-baggage and luggage in Quatar Airways flights were repeatedly checked. The passenger of Quatar Airways flights were off-loaded and frisked. Intelligence activities have been intensified in and around the airport. Approaching vehicles are being thoroughly inspected. The Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) of the CISF has been on alert.

However, entry into the terminal of the airport is not banned. The emergency security meeting was attended by CISF Commandant Rajeev Pant, senior officers of various airlines, Emigration, Customs, CIAL and ground Handling wing of the airport on Wednesday.