A Nightmare for Security Architecture?

Published On: September 20, 2024 - Two days after hundreds of Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies exploded in Lebanon, killing many, and injuring thousands, allegedly orchestrated by the Israeli ministry, there is panic in the aviation industry. Qatar Airways has prohibited all passengers from carrying pagers and walkie-talkies on its flights while boarding flights from Lebanon. Most passengers today bring laptops, cell phones, and tablets onboard flights. The explosions have raised concerns about the safety of lithium-ion batteries. Now if the explosive used in the pager batteries was ‘undetected’, what are the consequences to airline safety / security? How should the agencies responsible for security deal with such emerging threats? Analysing these critical questions are News9 Plus Editor Sandeep Unnithan, along with colleague Deepak Bhadana, S S Panesar, Ex-Director, Flight Safety & Training, Indian Airlines, Sanjay Lazar, Aviation Expert, and Maj Gen V K Datta (Retd), Defence & Counter-Terrorism Expert.