Britain rejects Ryanair ultimatum on airport security

Ryanair yesterday issued the British government with a seven-day ultimatum to restore security measures at UK airports to normal levels or face legal action for compensation for disruption to its services.

However, the British Department for Transport last night ruled out any imminent return to"normal" security measures. It said it had "no intention of compromising security" and did not anticipate changing requirements in the next seven days.

Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary told a press conference in London earlier yesterday that the security crisis at British airports had cost his airline around £2 million.

Ryanair said that it had written to the UK secretary of state for transport Douglas Alexander asking him to restore security measures at airports in Britain immediately to normal International Air Transport Association levels.

It said if this was done within the next seven days then the airline would "not make any claim for compensation which it is entitled to under the provision of Section 93 of the Transport Act 2000".

Mr O'Leary described the airline's losses as a result of the increased security measures as "relatively small beer".

He said the airline was not that concerned about receiving compensation, and that it just wanted to get the airports back to normal. "This is about preventing a bunch of lunatics from changing our lives."

Ryanair said while airports and flight schedules in Britain had been returning to normal in recent days this was mainly due to emergency rosters and overtime being operated by security staff.

These "extraordinary efforts" by airport staff were not sustainable, and the only way to prove to terrorists that they could not disrupt British life was to return security arrangements to their pre-August 9th levels.

It said the restoration of normal arrangements would involve passengers being allowed to bring hand luggage up to the size of a small "wheelie" case into the aircraft cabin. Such wheelie cases were just 20 per cent larger than the "large briefcases" currently permitted as hand luggage, according to the airline.

Ryanair also asked for an assurance that the next time the government quadrupled the number of individual body searches, it would send in police and army reserve personnel to assist so that security could be increased without causing disruption to flights.

Mr O'Leary described some of the security measures as "farcical, Keystone Cops-like and completely insane and ineffectual".

He said banning items such as water bottles and toothpaste was "nuts", and that the terrorists "must be rolling around the caves of Pakistan laughing".

"We are not in danger of dying at the hands of toiletries. Normal security measures have successfully prevented any terrorist attack on any British plane in the last 25 years."

Mr O'Leary said that although Ryanair's forward bookings were about 10 per cent down at one point during the last week, they were now back to normal.