BA reviews US flight after security fears
British Airways security officials are deciding today whether to operate its afternoon flight to Washington after cancelling yesterday’s service because of fears over security.
Flight BA 223 from Heathrow to Washington, which normally leaves London at 3.05pm, was cancelled several hours before it was scheduled to depart yesterday after BA received “security advice” from the government.
And on New Year’s Eve, the same flight had been kept on the runway for three hours after landing at Washington Dulles International Airport to allow security officials to board the plane and question passengers.
The Boeing 747 was escorted into Dulles by two F-16 fighter jets.
A BA spokesman said the airline was still hoping to operate this afternoon’s flight to Washington.
However, he said that in light of the events of the past two days, the security situation surrounding flight BA 223 was being closely monitored.
A decision on whether to operate the service today would be made by the airline’s security officials this morning, he added.
Last night it emerged that US authorities were acting on intelligence information – and not just suspicious passenger names – when they boarded the BA jet on New Year’s Eve. However, no evidence of terrorism was found.
“We had concerns with individuals on the flight, but threat reporting information led us to make the decision to have the flight escorted,” a national security official said.
“It was fact-related,” the official said, and not just connected to the passenger list the US now receives from airlines flying to the US.
The BA spokesman said he did not know whether the advice which prompted the cancellation of yesterday’s flight was terrorist related.
“We were only told that it was for security concerns, that’s all, and we complied fully with their requests,” he said.
A spokeswoman for the British Department of Transport said she was unable to comment on matters of security.
Meanwhile, an Aeromexico flight from Mexico City to Los Angeles was cancelled after US authorities refused to allow it to land.
Flight 490 was cancelled after Homeland Security officials said they were concerned it might be a safety risk, said a spokesman for Mexico’s President Vicente Fox.
Mexican officials found no evidence of a threat and all 40 passengers booked on the Aeromexico flight were allowed to leave on a Mexicana flight.
Referring to the Aeromexico flight, US Department of Homeland Security spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said it was cancelled because of security concerns.
“The government of Mexico made the decision to cancel Aeromexico Flight 490 after the US government shared threat information with the Mexican government,” he said.
