Govt preparing to meet US ‘sky marshals’ demand

The Government is reportedly preparing to cave in to US demands that armed guards be placed on selected flights that enter American airspace.

The Bush administration recently issued a directive ordering all foreign governments to put so-called “sky marshals” on any flight deemed a threat by them.

The decision on whether a flight posed a threat to the US would be based on whether any suspicious names appeared on the passenger list.

The US has threatened to prevent flights from entering its airspace unless the rest of the world complies with the directive.

Reports this morning said Department of Transport officials were planning to meet senior Gardaí before the end of this week to discuss how to meet the US demands.

The reports said the Gardaí would have to establish whether they were capable of providing “sky marshals” as the deployment of armed guards on airplanes requires specialist training.

The National Civil Aviation Security Committee, a group of experts from the Government, the Gardaí, the Army, the Aviation Authority and the airlines, is also due to meet next week to discuss the situation.

Meanwhile, the Irish Airline Pilots Association has expressed doubt about the use of armed guards on planes, saying security issues should be resolved on the ground and not by a gunfight in mid-air.

The association said the use of “sky marshals” on Irish flights should only be considered as a last resort and would require legislative changes.

Spokesman Capt Frank Feeney said pilots are currently legally responsible for all passengers and crew during a flight and would have major problems with the possibility of being held responsible for someone being killed or injured by an armed guard.