They probably weren’t going to be able to do it, anyway, so it might as well be legal for airports to miss the Dec. 31, 2002, deadline to have bomb sniffers in place. The Homeland Security Bill, which is likely to pass this week, reportedly contains language that will allow the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to allow airports up to an extra year to have the baggage-screening equipment in place. Airports wanted the extension because some of them require costly renovations to accommodate the mini-van-sized detectors. Getting an extension might not be that easy, however. The TSA has said it will only allow 40 extensions among the 429 airports that must be equipped with the devices.
Bomb-Sniffer Deadline Relaxed … Somewhat
Key Takeaways:
- Airports are expected to receive an extension beyond the Dec. 31, 2002 deadline for installing bomb-sniffing equipment, facilitated by the likely passage of the Homeland Security Bill.
- The extension allows airports an additional year to complete costly renovations required to accommodate the large baggage-screening detectors.
- Despite the need for extensions, the TSA plans to grant only 40 waivers among the 429 airports requiring the devices.
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