Easyjet CEO Carolyn McCall has warned that security needs to be stepped up at some airports around the world.
McCall made the comment in an interview with the BBC following increased speculation that a Russian charter aircraft was blown up by a bomb shortly after leaving Sharm El Sheikh airport in Egypt last month.
She was responding to remarks made by foreign secretary Philip Hammond at the weekend that air passengers may have to face more security and delays at airports as well as increased costs following the Sharm incident.
McCall said: "In some airports security is very, very tight and very strong. British airports do security very well.
"I think Philip Hammond is right that there are some other countries where airlines fly to, where it needs to be tightened.
"But it's not a blanket message – it's a very specific message about certain airports around the world. This will be a global thing – not just an Egyptian or North African thing."
McCall added that she expected passengers to be "happy" about increased airport security. "Nobody wants a security threat," she said.
Easyjet is celebrating its 20th anniversary today with events being held at its Luton airport headquarters to mark the low-cost carrier's first flight in November 1995.
Speaking at one of those events, McCall said: "Our priority at the moment is looking after our passengers. We're working very closely with the government.
"We will be led by the government as to when we can fly to Egypt. They will tell us – they have the intelligence and they have the inside track – and in terms of any other airport in the world, if any airport needs to tighten their security it will be governments that will decide if that is the case...
"When the government says that they believe that Sharm airport is safe to operate to, we will unsuspend our operation. It's suspended at the moment and we will wait to hear from the government."
Last week, the airline launched a new winter service between London Stansted and Reykjavik (see news, November 5).
Rob Gill
