Will pilots bear arms?

A CNN online report says the Airline Pilots Association (Alpa), which represents some 66 000 pilots in the United States and Canada, is seeking congressional approval to carry firearms into cockpits. This follows the hijacking of four commercial airliners in the United States two weeks ago which were used as missiles against the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon in Washington D.C . According to the union, the proposal will mean that pilots receive extensive classroom and firearms training to become actual law enforcement officials, with training to be done on a voluntary basis. TNN spoke to the president of Alpa-SA, captain Derick Leathers about the possibility of such measures being implemented on South African carriers. Leathers said that at this stage there are several proposals being made on how to deal with security onboard airliners. "These proposals are up for discussion, and we are taking the matter very seriously. We will be taking into account the pros and cons of each suggestion. What we should do is push for better airport security in Africa," he added. Alpa-SA represents some 1 500 pilots in South Africa. (Miguel de Sousa)