Airlines to have spy system to tackle terror

Experts at Reading University are working to develop a software to detect suspicious behaviour of passengers on board with the help of a combination of cameras, microphones, explosive sniffers and a sophisticated computer system, The Telegraph reported.

The research team, headed by James Ferryman, has already conducted trials of the camera system on a British Aerospace plane and the computer system on a mock airbus.

The software can scan unusual behaviour or events, such as unattended luggage or an individual going against the crowd flow. Microphones would eavesdrop conversations and alert the deck if anything suggests terrorist behaviour. Explosive sniffers would be able to detect if a bomb is planted.

All this information would be analysed by computer and if it spotted something untoward, the flight deck would be told instantly, the paper said.Similar systems have been deployed at stations and airports around the world, using CCTV to gather information.

“What we are doing is extending technology already used at airports and railway stations and placing it on an aircraft,” Ferryman said.

Cameras dotted around an aircraft would look out for abnormal activities such as several passengers entering a lavatory at the same time or individuals seeming agitated.