Last Updated Fri, 08 Sep 2006 10:57:00 EDT
CBC News
As the 5th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks approaches, transportation officials are making efforts to reassure people that air travel is safe.
Around this time every year people get jittery about stepping on a plane and may even avoid flying altogether on the anniversary of the attacks. But there’s never been a safer time to fly than now, says James Cherry, the head of Aeroports de Montreal.
«Much is being made of the anniversary, but I don’t think that it’s any different than any other day,» said Cherry. «It’s an important day to make sure people are secure.»
Air travel has become much safer in the wake of the attacks, said Cherry. Tighter security measures and more efficient communications systems allow air officials to have a better handle on what goes on in airports.
Authorities respond more quickly to threats, added Cherry, citing the bomb threat in Britain last summer, that led to an almost immediate ban on carry-on luggage and liquids in airports around the world.
There are more security measures being planned for other points of entry into Canada, promises federal Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon. The government wants to refine security measures at Canada’s ports, possibly introducing background checks on marine workers.
«We are covering all the angles,» said Cannon Thursday. «We spoke about freight before, and there was nothing that was done on the maritime [front]. We’re involved in that area now.»
New measures will be announced by the end of the year, Cannon said, once Canadian officials finish negotiating the details with the U.S. administration.
