Missile attack nightmare come true for aviation experts

A MISSILE attack on a passenger plane is something the aviation industry has long feared, experts said yesterday.

They also agreed that there was little that could be done to prevent such attacks, except the exercise of extreme vigilance at all times.

‘‘This type of attack has long been expected by a lot of people in the aviation industry,’’ said Kieran Daly, editor of Internet company Air Transport Intelligence.

‘‘The IRA did launch a missile attack on Heathrow airport in the early 1990s, but the big worry, especially in the 1970s and 1980s, was that the IRA would try to shoot a plane down. ‘‘El Al is a particular target and this kind of thing is extremely worrying for the airline as it is so difficult to defend against.

‘‘Planes can be armed with flares that can fired so that the missile follows the flare rather than the aircraft, but the missiles are pretty sophisticated. This kind of attack can only be countered by law enforcement. There is little that the aviation industry can do.’’

David Learmount, operations and safety editor of Flight International magazine, said: ‘‘Everyone knew that something like this could happen. If it comes to a situation where we believe there are organisations that have declared war, then we have to provide defences as if there is a war.

‘‘But one wonders if we have the manpower to do that.

‘‘I don’t think people should stop travelling by air.

“We live with so much danger these days. Personally, I think people will still be happy to fly, despite this latest incident.’’

Last year, a Russian passenger aircraft was accidentally shot down by a missile in the Ukraine.

In December 2000, a Sabena Airbus aircraft was hit by machine gun fire as it landed at Bujumbura in Burundi in Africa. Two passengers and one cabin crew member was slightly hurt.