Bomb scare at Vancouver seaplane facility

Seaplanes used to be more popular four decades ago, but now they account for but a miniscule fractions or air travel. This is why, perhaps, with all the attention being paid to the safety of air travel, sea plane security has been overlooked. We read that a security threat shut down all of Canadain operatorHarbour Air operations from Vancouver Island to the Fraser Valley Wednesday morning, prompting concern about security at floatplane facilities across British Columbia. Police searched Harbour Air’s float planes in Victoria Wednesday morning following a security threat, but did not find any bomb. CBC reports that the company grounded its sixty planes, delaying hundreds of passengers in Vancouver, Victoria, Richmond, and Langley. Police were called in to search for a bomb. After three hours of scouring the area, Harbour Air operations were given the all-clear, and 300 people were able to resume their flights. No bomb was found. but the incident caused a temporary lockdown at Langley Secondary School near a Langley regional airport.

Wednesday’s incident has re-ignited the debate over security, or the lack of security, at British Columbia float plane facilities where, unlike regular airports, there are virtually no security checks or baggage screening. Liberal Senator Larry Campbell, a former mayor of Vancouver, said the incident is worrisome and says it is time for a security crackdown. “There is certainly a danger there. Given the nature of our lives now, and the nature of the world, security has to trump,” said Campbell, a member of the Canadian Senate’s Defence and Security committee. Harbour Air’s Wright said he believes this incident was random, and does not require more security measures. “That’s the society we live in and it’s really sad that it can inconvenience this many people, so I don’t see that having anything to do with security,” Wright said.