9/11 remembered: Travellers suffer in silence as stringent new airport checks cause delays

Airports have fought to stay one jump ahead of terrorists who have made several attempts to bring down planes.

“One thing is certain. Tight security is here to stay,” said David Learmount, operations and security editor of aerospace publisher Flight Global.

“The hope is that the checks, although remaining stringent, will become less invasive.”

Those travelling by air in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 arrived at airports to find huge queues at security.

People grumbled, but understood. At first, the main changes to airport security were to be seen in America where baggage checks, particularly of checked-in luggage, were made far more stringent.

But airports worldwide had to make further changes after British-born shoe bomber Richard Reid was held on a Paris to Miami flight in December 2001.

His actions, for which he is now serving a life sentence, led to passengers passing through security often having to take their shoes off. Another big change for UK air travellers came in August 2006 when the foiling of a plot to destroy aircraft resulted in the liquid ban.

The lengths to which the terrorists would go was shown on Christmas Day 2009 when Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab attempted to explode a device hidden in his underwear on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. He currently faces charges in the US.

As the decade has gone on, airports have attempted to bring in ever-more sophisticated equipment to beat the bombers. Body scanning has been trialled in the UK, while at any airport at any time passengers may be required to remove coats, jackets and belts.

There was a time when items such as razors and nail scissors would have been allowed in hand luggage. But that is no longer the case. America has even gone as far as introducing armed air marshals on flights. Another change has been the reinforcement of cockpit doors. They are now locked during flights and can withstand the strongest of assaults.

Mr Learmount said: “It’s certainly getting harder for terrorists to breach airport security. But the would-be bombers are persistent and security experts have to try to anticipate their next move. It’s a game of cat and mouse.

“What the International Air Transport Association and the equipment manufacturers would ideally like to see is a situation where passengers walk through an airport security area and as they do so they are scanned, their bags are scanned, their biometric passport is scanned and the whole process is relatively painless and queue-free.

“The checks will continue. It’s the way they are done that will change.”