What can we do to avert new airport security breach?

A MEETING of the ministers of justice and communications, the police and the civil aviation authority will on Monday look into the major security breach at Larnaca airport on Wednesday when a man managed to drive his car onto the taxiway, causing chaos along the way.

The 29-year-old man, who is suffering from mental problems, was arrested after a 20-minute chase amid the aircraft.

Two Cyprus Airways flights that had just landed were forced to come to an abrupt halt in order to avoid a collision.

Police have launched an investigation into the incident after it transpired that the man, who had his five-year-old nephew with him, apparently entered the taxiway through a guarded gate.

Reports said the man was following another car, whose driver had authorisation to enter, and the officer at the gate assumed that he too had clearance.

The incident was a major embarassment for the government who decided to hold a meeting on Monday to examine the whole affair.

The aim of the meeting would be to look into all measures that need to be put in place to avoid a repeat of the incident, Communications Minister Haris Thrasou said.
“We take the political decisions and assume the political responsibilities when necessary,” the minister said.

He added that the details would be published as soon as the investigation was finished.
The incident raised questions concerning the wider issue of security at the island’s two airports at a time when airports around the world are on continuous alert fearing terrorist attacks.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.