Vic: Armed air marshals for all Qantas flights to Singapore

AAP General News (Australia)
12-26-2003
Vic: Armed air marshals for all Qantas flights to Singapore

MELBOURNE, Dec 26 AAP - Armed air marshals will fly on all Qantas flights between Australia
and Singapore under a deal struck between the airline and the federal government, Qantas
confirmed today.

A Qantas spokeswoman said chief executive Geoff Dixon and federal Justice Minister
Chris Ellison had held talks yesterday and agreed to a cost sharing arrangement to fund
the marshals.

She said the deal struck yesterday would be effective immediately.

In a statement, Mr Dixon said safety and security were paramount to Qantas.

"(We) will continue to work closely with the government to further improve aviation
security, including the sky marshal program," he said.

Media reports today suggested that the airline would also introduce armed guards to
all flights to the US within weeks.

But the spokeswoman said the airline had made no announcement regarding sky marshals
on American-bound flights.

Several flights between Los Angeles and Paris were grounded yesterday after United
States authorities identified at least one passenger with suspected terrorist links.

But subsequent checks on passenger lists turned up no terror links on any of the cancelled
Air France flights and no arrests were made.

AAP clm/cd

KEYWORD: MARSHALS 2ND LEAD

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