SaturnV
The Le Figaro article used the French word "sécurité" with respect to Air France procedures. As has been subsequently learned by non-native speakers of French, sécurité can be translated as either safety or security. Similarly, the French word "sûreté" can be translated as either safety or security.
I have seen sûreté and sécurité used in the same sentence, so the French must distinguish between the two with respect to meaning. French is not my native tongue by a long shot, but based on the following from Les Aeroports Francais, sûreté is used on the ground before boarding, and sécurité is used when in the air.
Just my two (euro-)cents as a french native: the term "sûreté" generally addresses matters of deliberate jeopardy: theaves, enemies of state, terr¤rists and so on. This is illustrated by the term "sûreté de l'Etat", that translates to "State security". Generally again, the term "sécurité" addresses dangers not resulting from deliberate action: we use the term "ceintures de sécurité" in cars and planes ("safety belts").
Thus, most often, "sécurité" translates to "safety" and "sûreté" translates to "security", but it's true that both terms are interchangeable to some degree: e.g. the established term "Autorité de sûreté nucléaire" (nuclear safety Authority), which primarily addresses nuclear accidents, not deliberate attacks against nuclear plants.
Espère ceci aide.
