Twelve Airlines Boycott Brussels Valuable Shipments
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Twelve Airlines Boycott Brussels Valuable Shipments
July 6, 2001
Business and Finance - Europe
Twelve Airlines Stop Shipping
Valuables Via Brussels Airport
By PAULO PRADA and DAN BILEFSKY
Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
BRUSSELS -- Twelve European airlines have stopped shipping diamonds, bank-notes and other valuable cargo to or from Brussels International Airport, alarmed by recent armed attacks on commercial aircraft on the tarmac.
The decision follows at least four heists since 1995 of planes' cargo at the airport. In two stickups during the past 12 months, gangs of machine-gun-toting assailants burst through perimeter fences and drove off with loot that included cash and diamonds. None of the incidents resulted in any injuries.
"The Brussels airport has had security problems for a long time, but the most recent incidents have led us to form an embargo until the authorities can improve it," said Iain Jack, head of security for British Airways and chairman of the working group on security for the Association of European Airlines.
It is highly unusual, if not unprecedented, for a group of airlines to boycott a single airport. The valuable-cargo boycott officially started July 1, after the association sent the Belgian government letters asking for enhanced security measures, including stricter controls for vehicle access to cargo areas and better management of airport identification badges.
Airlines either are diverting cargo to flights destined for other airports in the region or are shipping freight by truck. Officials at Brussels International said they couldn't estimate what revenue the facility stands to lose.
Airline executives said their concern about security at the airport was heightened after armed men in an airport van attacked a ground crew loading a Lufthansa jet's cargo hold in October, making away with 375 million marks ($162.3 million) of valuables, including gems.
After a similar assault on an aircraft operated by the Belgian carrier Sabena in April, the government acknowledged the need for tighter controls. But the association, dissatisfied with what it saw as a lack of progress, complained in a letter that the government had yet to "present an appropriate solution to the problem." None of the thieves have been arrested.
Eric Monami, an adviser to the Belgian transport minister, said the government is working hard to bolster controls. At the request of the transport ministry, the European Civil Aviation Conference recently conducted an audit of the airport's security measures, the results of which are expected to be published later this month.
In the meantime, Mr. Monami said, the airport and government are doing their best to protect a cargo area that routinely handles a high quantity of valuable goods, due to Belgium's diamond industry and the large number of international organizations based in the European capital. Police, customs officials and airport authorities wouldn't discuss details of measures being taken or proposed improvements. Mr. Monami said, however, that the government was considering means to improve security by limiting access to the gates, monitoring the distribution of security badges more closely and expanding the number of federal police officers on duty at the airport.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said it is aware of the incidents, but the agency hasn't cautioned U.S. carriers about potential dangers. Most American airlines aren't as likely to be carrying high-value cargo through Brussels as European carriers, officials said.
The problems at the airport in Brussels have disrupted the trade of diamonds from Africa, prompting diplomats in that region to warn Brussels that it could cause economic harm. The Belgian Embassy in the Democratic Republic of Congo sent a letter to Brussels asking the government to outline its plans.
According to Belgian officials, diamonds account for about 80% of the Congo's exports. The bulk of those exports go through Belgium, where Antwerp is the world center of wholesale diamond trading.
Insurance companies are weighing in on the issue, too. A group of London underwriters has formed a working group to study the problem of airport heists. While Brussels isn't the only airport to have problems with cargo security, insurers said they are very aware of the problem in Belgium.
"The action being taken by the airlines indicates the level of concern at that airport," said Neil Smith, secretary of the Joint Cargo Committee, a London-based group that addresses common concerns among insurers of high-value cargo, such as the various underwriters at Lloyds of London. The committee already has been in touch with the airlines and seeks to jointly work on the problem.
Airlines and insurers say robberies of airline cargo world-wide have increased in recent years because carriers are shipping more cash and valuable items than ever before. Europe especially is exposed, they add, because of more commerce with former Soviet states and fewer border controls within the European Union.
Tarmac Trouble
Cargo heists at Brussels International Airport in recent years include the following incidents:
April 2 -- Machine-gun wielding assailants attack a Sabena aircraft after passengers disembarked, stealing an undisclosed amount of valuables.
Oct. 31, 2000 -- Armed assailants rob 375 million Deutsche marks worth of diamonds and other plunder.
Feb. 17, 1999 -- Thieves disguised as pilots heist 74 million Belgian francs from an armored car as crew load a Virgin Express aircraft.
Oct. 3, 1995 -- Bandits in a truck drive beneath a Swissair plane as it taxies, opening the cargo hold and pilfering 1.8 million Swiss francs in cash.
Source: WSJE.
Business and Finance - Europe
Twelve Airlines Stop Shipping
Valuables Via Brussels Airport
By PAULO PRADA and DAN BILEFSKY
Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
BRUSSELS -- Twelve European airlines have stopped shipping diamonds, bank-notes and other valuable cargo to or from Brussels International Airport, alarmed by recent armed attacks on commercial aircraft on the tarmac.
The decision follows at least four heists since 1995 of planes' cargo at the airport. In two stickups during the past 12 months, gangs of machine-gun-toting assailants burst through perimeter fences and drove off with loot that included cash and diamonds. None of the incidents resulted in any injuries.
"The Brussels airport has had security problems for a long time, but the most recent incidents have led us to form an embargo until the authorities can improve it," said Iain Jack, head of security for British Airways and chairman of the working group on security for the Association of European Airlines.
It is highly unusual, if not unprecedented, for a group of airlines to boycott a single airport. The valuable-cargo boycott officially started July 1, after the association sent the Belgian government letters asking for enhanced security measures, including stricter controls for vehicle access to cargo areas and better management of airport identification badges.
Airlines either are diverting cargo to flights destined for other airports in the region or are shipping freight by truck. Officials at Brussels International said they couldn't estimate what revenue the facility stands to lose.
Airline executives said their concern about security at the airport was heightened after armed men in an airport van attacked a ground crew loading a Lufthansa jet's cargo hold in October, making away with 375 million marks ($162.3 million) of valuables, including gems.
After a similar assault on an aircraft operated by the Belgian carrier Sabena in April, the government acknowledged the need for tighter controls. But the association, dissatisfied with what it saw as a lack of progress, complained in a letter that the government had yet to "present an appropriate solution to the problem." None of the thieves have been arrested.
Eric Monami, an adviser to the Belgian transport minister, said the government is working hard to bolster controls. At the request of the transport ministry, the European Civil Aviation Conference recently conducted an audit of the airport's security measures, the results of which are expected to be published later this month.
In the meantime, Mr. Monami said, the airport and government are doing their best to protect a cargo area that routinely handles a high quantity of valuable goods, due to Belgium's diamond industry and the large number of international organizations based in the European capital. Police, customs officials and airport authorities wouldn't discuss details of measures being taken or proposed improvements. Mr. Monami said, however, that the government was considering means to improve security by limiting access to the gates, monitoring the distribution of security badges more closely and expanding the number of federal police officers on duty at the airport.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said it is aware of the incidents, but the agency hasn't cautioned U.S. carriers about potential dangers. Most American airlines aren't as likely to be carrying high-value cargo through Brussels as European carriers, officials said.
The problems at the airport in Brussels have disrupted the trade of diamonds from Africa, prompting diplomats in that region to warn Brussels that it could cause economic harm. The Belgian Embassy in the Democratic Republic of Congo sent a letter to Brussels asking the government to outline its plans.
According to Belgian officials, diamonds account for about 80% of the Congo's exports. The bulk of those exports go through Belgium, where Antwerp is the world center of wholesale diamond trading.
Insurance companies are weighing in on the issue, too. A group of London underwriters has formed a working group to study the problem of airport heists. While Brussels isn't the only airport to have problems with cargo security, insurers said they are very aware of the problem in Belgium.
"The action being taken by the airlines indicates the level of concern at that airport," said Neil Smith, secretary of the Joint Cargo Committee, a London-based group that addresses common concerns among insurers of high-value cargo, such as the various underwriters at Lloyds of London. The committee already has been in touch with the airlines and seeks to jointly work on the problem.
Airlines and insurers say robberies of airline cargo world-wide have increased in recent years because carriers are shipping more cash and valuable items than ever before. Europe especially is exposed, they add, because of more commerce with former Soviet states and fewer border controls within the European Union.
Tarmac Trouble
Cargo heists at Brussels International Airport in recent years include the following incidents:
April 2 -- Machine-gun wielding assailants attack a Sabena aircraft after passengers disembarked, stealing an undisclosed amount of valuables.
Oct. 31, 2000 -- Armed assailants rob 375 million Deutsche marks worth of diamonds and other plunder.
Feb. 17, 1999 -- Thieves disguised as pilots heist 74 million Belgian francs from an armored car as crew load a Virgin Express aircraft.
Oct. 3, 1995 -- Bandits in a truck drive beneath a Swissair plane as it taxies, opening the cargo hold and pilfering 1.8 million Swiss francs in cash.
Source: WSJE.
