Airline security expert Smiths sees a boost in its share price
Shares in Smith Group, a company which manufacturers security equipment for airports, leapt 3 per cent yesterday to 1,232p on speculation that airports will have to increase security measures for cargo planes following the Yemeni bombs.
Smiths makes explosives detectors which are widely used in America, where regulations that came into force on 1 August 2010 say that 100 per cent of cargo must be screened for explosives, although up to 25 per cent of cargo is currently untested.
A spokesman for Smiths Group said: “The industry as a whole has been pressing for explosives screening to be extended to air cargo for some time. This latest incident illustrates that merely checking that freight matches its inventory – the most common current practice – is not enough.
“Stricter, standardised regulations on screening air freight for explosives should be applied internationally.”
The home secretary hinted that stricted regulations could soon come into force in the UK.
The share price of courier UPS, on whose planes the bombs were found, ticked higher in early trading onwall Street, regaining some of the losses it suffered at the end of last week.