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Terror attacks could be launched using private airfields around the capital with lax or non-existent security a real concern for security chiefs.
News Desk
The airspace over the UK is open to the potential of a 9/11 attack with the revelation that there is no formal vetting from security authorities about who is landing and taking off from Britain's airfields - although once an aircraft is airborne it is monitored by the Civil Aviation Authority.
According to a report published by Lord Carlile the Government's anti-terror expert who looked at how the UK would deal with an attack in the air, found that private jets and light aircraft could be used by terrorists to launch attacks on crowds and buildings in Britain.
Sources within the police service have "real anxiety" about the possibility of terror missions being launched from small airports amid fears over lax security.
"I know that some knowledgeable police officers and officials have ongoing concerns about the relative simplicity of terrorism conducted in this way, given the very large number of private aircraft and small airfields."
"Jets could be hijacked and used as "vehicle bombs" to target the public."
Security sources have also confirmed to the London Daily News that around 1200 "rogue flights" appear each year in the UK, meriting only 4-5 occasions for the RAF to scramble planes. In comparison France has around 1200-1400 "rogue flights" but the French air force have been dispatched 1200-1400 times to deal with any potential threats.
An attack by air would be a very simple method to organise according to Lord Carlile of Berriew.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph Lord Carlisle said:
"Thousands of small, rented planes capable of traveling at high speeds between EU countries and the UK should be subjected to far stricter checks."
The warning, contained in a 60-page report has underlined the high risk London is faced with and the potential of a 9/11 style attack on the capital.
In addition it is sometimes unclear where a flight has originated from.
A plane flying from outside the European Union could touchdown on a airfield in the EU and then be regarded by British authorities as coming from within the EU. "This is self-evidently unsatisfactory," Lord Carlile is quoted as saying in the Daily Telegraph
Lord Carlile also said he was concerned about the thoroughness of checks that were made on planes and executive jets which fly into and out of British airspace every day.
He said he was concerned because security was lax or non-existent in many of them.
However, he said there had been no intelligence of any plots to launch such attacks.
Local airfield operators had worked out local policing plans "involving special branch and other police officers working together" - but more efforts to counter the threat was needed, he said.
Experts said that other pilots and airfield operators kept watch on each other through a "Neighbourhood Watch" system, with operators alerting local police and the security services if they see anything suspicious.
Olympics 2012
With the capital hosting the 2012 Olympic Games security chiefs in London will be conscious of the state of security over the capital. There have been discussions that E-3D AWACS will be used during the Games in the London.
The use of NATO AWACS for airspace surveillance and control has become an important part of national and international efforts to ensure the safety and security of high profile events. The NATO AWACS fleet has previously provided such support to many events such as; the 2008 NATO Summit in Romania, the 2007 EU-Africa Summit in Portugal, the 2006 World Cup football competition in Germany, the 2005 G8 economic Summit in the United Kingdom and the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Greece, and more recently the G20 in London. photo credit: London Daily News
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