(Filed: 19/12/2002)

Armed "air marshals" are now ready to fly on UK passenger planes, the Government has announced.

The capability "to place covert, specially-trained armed police officers aboard UK civil aircraft now exists", said Transport Secretary Alistair Darling.

He added that this was "a sensible and measured addition to the range of security measures we have available for addressing the threat to UK interests and to UK aviation".

Mr Darling said the move to place officers on planes followed a Government decision earlier this year to reinforce in-flight security as part of the continuing review of aviation security.

He stressed that although the threat to UK aviation remained "a real one", the new measure had not been developed, nor had been announced, "in response to any new or or specific intelligence".

Mr Darling said: "The Government will continue to work with the UK airline industry on sustainable measures for responding to the terrorist threat."

-- Anonymous, December 19, 2002