Handguns will be installed in the cockpits of U.S. commercial airliners in the near future, leaving open the possibility that Canadian pilots flying into the United States will be required to arm themselves, the head of the world's largest airline said yesterday.
Donald Carty, chairman and chief executive officer of AMR Corp., parent of American Airlines Inc., said he is certain that the United States will soon allow pilots to fly with handguns, a measure aimed at preventing a repeat of the Sept. 11 terrorist hijackings.
On Thursday, the U.S. Senate approved arming airline pilots in an 87-6 vote. The Bush administration, which had adamantly opposed arming pilots, said this week it would not stand in the way of implementing such a plan.
In Ottawa, Transport Minister David Collenette yesterday insisted that Canada will not allow pilots to start carrying weapons, saying they add a "new element of danger" on flights.
"You're either a pilot or a policeman," he said. "Will we arm subway drivers?"
Mr. Carty said he also has reservations about putting guns in cockpits, including the question of who will care for the weapons when U.S. airplanes land in Canada, for instance. He said reinforced cockpit doors, which become mandatory on April 1 within the United States, are an effective protection against hijackings.
Mr. Carty said pilots will likely be armed some time next year, although it is remotely possible that the measure could be in place before the end of this year.
But with a separate bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, it is difficult to determine what the final law will look like, he added. One unanswered question is how foreign airliners flying into U.S. airspace will be treated and whether they will be forced to carry firearms.
"We'll have to examine what extraterritorial issues are involved with respect to other countries," he said, speaking to reporters during an all-day roundtable with corporate and political leaders at Spruce Meadows, south of Calgary.
In the aftermath of Sept. 11, the United States has not shied away from imposing stricter security regulations on foreign airlines. Air Canada was banned from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport for more than a month last fall until it began complying with a requirement to put armed sky marshals on board its flights.
An Air Canada spokeswoman confirmed yesterday the airline would be bound by any regulation from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration requiring pilots to carry guns.
"Clearly, we have to comply with everything that Transport Canada and the FAA ask of us," said Angela Mah, while stressing that her company does not support arming pilots.
Mr. Collenette said he was reluctant to allow armed RCMP officers aboard selected Canadian flights, which has since become Canadian policy.
He refused to speculate on how Canada would be affected if the United States requires pilots to be armed, saying no law had yet been put in place.
As the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks near, the U.S. airline industry is also preparing a new security system that more tightly integrates reservations with lists of suspicious persons supplied by intelligence agencies, Mr. Carty said.