NEW DELHI: Nearly five years after the global civil aviation industry suffered its worst jolt in the form of the 9/11 terror attacks in the United States, air travellers, airlines and travel trade are once again bracing themselves up for uncertain times.

Though international flights, particularly those passing through the United Kingdom, and the ones headed for U.S., are delayed by stricter security checks, cancellations have not yet been reported. Travel and aviation sector sources said the impact, though marginal, would be felt by airlines flying to the U.K. and U.S. cities because of massive delays and some cancellations of flights.

Latecomers grounded

With the Government enforcing tight security at all airports and airlines closing their counters 30 minutes before the scheduled departure of flights, a number of passengers found themselves grounded there.In yet another precautionary step, all civilian aircraft flying in the Indian skies will be identified and brought under the scanner of Air Force radars, which have extended their reach.

A joint survey was carried at the Delhi airport by the chiefs of the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) on Friday to ensure smooth implementation of the new security measures. As the CISF is entrusted with providing multilayer airport security, its personnel have been sensitised to the new threat perception and trained in detection of liquid and plastic explosives, which cannot be easily identified by metal detectors.

Security experts say the London Heathrow plot was aimed at smuggling in liquid explosives, which can be set off even by a flashlight and are enough to puncture the window of an aircraft. "Even a single window blowing up at a height of 35,000 feet would have caused the cabin pressure to escape, causing deaths of passengers and destruction of the aircraft."

The airspace over Delhi, in an area of about 60 nautical miles, would remain closed on August 15 as a precautionary measure, officials said. The new security measures were being monitored constantly and a review would also be undertaken.

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