Conor Lally
A snap summit of aviation officials from across the EU was being organised by the Department of Transport last night in an effort to resolve the deepening crisis between Europe and the US over the deployment of armed air marshals on transatlantic flights
The meeting could take place in either Dublin or Brussels as soon as Friday and is being organised by the Government in its capacity as President of the EU.
Four EU member-states- Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Portugal - have said they are opposed to the new regulations. The British Transport Secretary, Mr Alistair Darling, yesterday backed a call by British pilots for an EU safety summit on the issue.
The Irish Airline Pilots' Association said pilots should remain in full command of any aircraft carrying armed sky marshals.
The association said a clear chain of command, with pilots at the top, would need to be put in place.
Its director of safety, Mr Conor Nolan, said that while pilots would prefer to see security threats dealt with before take-off, the Irish authorities would have to accommodate the insistence by the US authorities that armed marshals travel on some flights. "We have to deal with reality," he said.
The Government is unlikely to finalise its position until the National Civil Aviation Security Committee has had time to consult with Government departments, gardaí, pilots and the Irish Aviation Authority.
"You are talking about the end of the month or maybe the beginning of next month," an informed source in Dublin said.
Mr Nolan said that in the event of armed marshals being introduced, the pilot of any aircraft carrying them would have to be informed as to who they were and where they were sitting on the aircraft.
The pilot would also need to maintain radio contact with the marshals, according to Mr Nolan.
Last month, the Department of Homeland Security in the US introduced regulations which will allow the authorities there to insist on armed marshals being placed, on request, on flights entering or leaving the US.
The move follows intelligence which suggested terrorists might be about to use aircraft for an attack.
The marshals would be equipped with special bullets which can kill a person but will not puncture the pressurised cabin of an aircraft.
The armed marshals would not travel on every flight.
However, if the US authorities requested their presence on a particular aircraft into, or over, the United States, and the Irish authorities failed to comply, the aircraft would be denied access to US air space.
The National Civil Aviation Security Committee, which comprises the Departments of Justice and Defence along with the gardaí, army, airlines and the IAA, is expected to meet several times in coming days and weeks for talks on the issue.