Theft of personal belongings inflight, especially from overhead compartments, is a growing issue, at least in some areas, according to industry executives meeting last week at the International Air Transport Association annual meeting.
Nick Careen, IATA’s safety and security chief, said feedback from its members indicate that in-flight theft has become more of an issue on certain routes in the past 12 to 18 months. “Our security advisory group is planning to meet in the next week or two to discuss what we could potentially do to better manage this.”
He also said the industry is concerned about other security issues as well, including turbulence, gaps in accident reporting, and GPS jamming and spoofing near conflict areas. But, he added, “We’re still the safest mode of transportation… However, we never rest on our laurels in aviation. There are headwinds. There are things that we need to keep an eye on.”
