AFGHANISTAN

On Tuesday (13/12), it was reported that a suicide bomber blew himself up in the west of the country after he was intercepted by Police as he attempted to enter Qala-i-Naw Airport (LQN) on foot. LQN is also a base for Spanish troops in the area. The airport is also used for domestic flights.


DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

On Thursday (15/12), the National Drug Control Directorate announced that 15 law enforcement agents and two Europeans were arrested as part of an investigation into the smuggling of a ton of cocaine on board a flight operating between Casa de Campo Airport (LRM) and Antwerp (ANR) in Belgium. A spokesman said that the arrested officers had carried out security, immigration and anti-narcotics duties at LRM.


FRANCE

On Saturday (17/12), operations at Paris Charles De Gaulle (CDG) and Lyon (LYS) Airports were disrupted as a result of industrial action by security staff. The contracted staff are demanding better pay and conditions.


ITALY

On Wednesday (14/12), a Kazakh diplomat who attempted to hijack an Alitalia flight operating between Paris (CDG) and Rome (FCO) last April, was deemed to be mentally ill, and therefore unfit to stand trial. The incident in April began when the man produced a small knife and demanded that the flight be diverted to Tripoli (TIP). He was restrained by crew and other passengers, resulting in minor injuries to a female flight attendant, and was sedated by a doctor on board. He was later charged with abduction and a hijacking attempt. He is expected to remain in hospital in Italy for three months, before being removed to Almaty.


JAPAN

On Monday (12/12), it was reported that a passenger on board an Air Do flight preparing to depart Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) for Sapporo New Chitose (CTS) was arrested after he claimed that he had a bomb in his cabin baggage. The claim was made when a member of crew offered to assist the wheelchair bound pax place the bag in an overhead bin. The pax was arrested, and later apologised for his behaviour. Nothing unusual was found.


RUSSIA

On Friday (17/12), it was reported that Customs Officers at Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport (SVO) seized a quantity of radioactive isotope from a pax boarding a flight to Tehran (IKA). Authorities say that Customs were alerted when a warning system indicated the presence of the material in the departures area. Passenger baggage was searched, and eighteen metallic objects of industrial origin packed into individual steel boxes, were found. The material was identified as Sodium-22, which is primarily used for medical and research purposes. The Iranian Ambassador to Moscow later claimed that the detained man had been a dental student who used the radiological material in the course of his work.


UNITED STATES

On Monday (12/12), it was reported that a pistol discovered in a carry-on bag was accidentally discharged at Atlanta Airport (ATL), injuring a Police officer. TSA screeners called Police after they identified the loaded .22 handgun on an X-ray. The gun fired as a police officer tried to clear it while pointing the weapon at a screening table. The officer received a minor wound to his face. The pax was arrested.


On Friday (16/12), the TSA announced that four screeners have either resigned or been sacked for failing to properly screen checked baggage at Charlotte/Douglas Airport (CLT). The TSA said that it had carried out an investigation when an audit indicated that during a week long period in June, 80 bags containing dangerous articles were not correctly screened. TSA said that it was seeking to dismiss a further 12 CLT screeners.


On Friday (16/12), a passenger on board an American Airlines MD80, operating between Dallas (DFW) and Chicago O’Hare (ORD), claimed that he had a bomb in his camera bag. The pax was detained and questioned by a Federal Air Marshall, and was arrested when the flight landed at ORD. Nothing unusual was found.


TSA Weekly Stats (5th - 11th Dec 2011)

1 artfully concealed prohibited items found at checkpoints

29 firearms found at checkpoints

7 pax were arrested after investigations of suspicious behavior or fraudulent travel documents.


AND FINALLY

New Thai domestic carrier, PC Air, announced this week that it has recruited four ladyboys to be flight attendants, a move that some said could be a key step towards still broader acceptance in a nation where they are already unusually visible. Katoeys or "ladyboys," hold mainstream jobs in a variety of fields in Thailand. They are especially common in cosmetics shops or health stores, which commonly have a ladyboy shop assistant.