The Office of the Manager Airport Security (OMAS) within the Ministry for Justice & Home Affairs reviewed the security procedures with Malta International Airport (MIA) immediately following the 25th of December incident aboard a Northwest Airlines plane bound for Detroit. Appropriate security measures at the airport were taken in light of the information received.

The current security standards for passenger screening adopted at the MIA meet international and regional requirements. These same standards are in place at all European Union airports and are adopted for all flights not departing to the United States of America.

It should also be mentioned that locally, quality control is performed on an ongoing basis by OMAS on all aviation security aspects. Nevertheless, constant vigilance is required in all areas of airport security and the security procedures employed must be constantly updated as necessary.

As early as February 2009, the Ministry for Justice & Home Affairs through the Aviation Security Committee has been evaluating the possibility of introducing body scanner technology. Malta International Airport is represented on this Committee. No decision has been taken as yet in view of the fact that this new technology is also being debated at EU level, and so far there is no common position amongst all 27 member states about the need to adopt it across all European Union airports.

Body scanners can be an added tool to airports. However, this is certainly not the ultimate answer for the detection of prohibited articles. In fact this new technology is still in the testing phase and requires further study. So far, only 3 EU countries have committed to deploying such technology and only in selected airports within their territories.

The Maltese authorities will continue monitoring closely all international developments in this field and act accordingly in the interest of passengers and users of the airport.

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