IATA director says states should pay for air transport security

IATA director says states should pay for air transport security       Governments, not civil airlines, should fund air transport security, said Giovanni Bisignani, director general and chief executive officer of the International Air Transport Association, at an aviation security meeting in Athens.
   “The cost of aviation security must be borne by governments through general revenue and not from special taxes and user fees,” Bisignani said. “Security is an issue that goes far beyond aviation. It is a government responsibility, just like war and peace, and the costs must be assumed by the society at large, not just by one industry.”
   As for air cargo security, “cargo screening must look at alternative programs that will effectively address the cargo concerns without choking the business,” the IATA said in a statement. IATA members carry more than 40 million tons of cargo annually.
   IATA has asked the European Union Council for a decision to oblige governments to assume responsibility and funding for security measures.