Emirates airline reviews security after Russia jet crash

Dubai - Egypt plane crash is a 'game changer' for aviation: Clark

Emirates is reviewing airport and security procedures in Egypt following a Russian plane crash that is expected to spur demand for strict aviation security, the airlines' president said on Sunday.
The crash of a Russian passenger jet in Egypt was a "game changer" for aviation that would result in demands for stringent aviation security worldwide, Tim Clark told reporters at the opening of the Dubai Airshow.
The biennial airshow took off on Sunday to a slow start amid expectations for a record low in sales. His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, formally inaugurated the show.
Clark said taking measures to improve security was a job for airports and countries. "I think there will be some hard thinking to do if what is alleged to have happened in Sharm El Sheikh is correct".
Investigators of the plane crash are "90 per cent sure" the noise heard in the final second of a cockpit recording was an explosion caused by a bomb.
Clark said Emirates is reviewing airport and security procedures in Egypt and the airline would remain committed to flying to the country.
Clark said Egypt is "an enormously important market" to the airline and that it is important that it maintains its operations there.
"What happened in Sharm El Sheikh last week, and to a lesser extent with the ... (Germanwings) aircraft, are game changers for our industry," he said, referring to the crash of a Germanwings airliner in the French Alps in March.
"They have to be addressed at industry level because no doubt the countries - US, Europe - I would think will make some fairly stringent, draconian demands on the way aviation works with security."
Analysts predict that the show, which has lined up 1,100 exhibitors from more than 60 countries and 16 industry pavilions, is not expected to witness mega aircraft orders as recorded at the previous editions as the Gulf's main airlines have already placed large orders with major manufacturers.
Indications are that most plane-makers are bracing for a slowdown in new commitments after three years of record jetliner orders. The last edition of Dubai Airshow two years ago generated business of up to $200 billion with orders for planes in the first few hours topping $162.6 billion, beating the show's previous record of $155 billion set in 2007. issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com
Emirates operates two daily roundtrip flights linking Cairo with Dubai, the Middle East's commercial hub. It does not fly to Sharm El Sheikh, the departure airport for the doomed Russian airliner last week, killing all 224 people aboard, about 20 minutes after taking off from an Egyptian resort area.

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