REVIEWING security measures at all interior airstrips and the immediate implementation of improved security methods are among areas agreed on by stakeholders in the aviation sector in light of the hijacking last week of a local aircraft by four passengers on board.

Following a special meeting called Tuesday to discuss at length the circumstances surrounding the hijacking at Lethem where the four took over a Trans Guyana Airways flight at gunpoint, it was generally agreed that there was need for a more formal and disciplined approach to passenger screening for all domestic flights, especially at airstrips near interior border destinations, officials said.

The need for stronger collaboration between airline operators and the Police Force was also discussed.

The special meeting on urgent security measures for domestic air travel was convened by the Ministry of Public Works and Communications with officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the President and representatives of the Aircraft Owners Association of Guyana, members of the Air Transport Reform Programme, and the Director of Civil Aviation.

Minister of Transport and Hydraulics, Mr. Anthony Xavier chaired the meeting held in his ministry's boardroom in Georgetown.

In a joint statement yesterday, the parties at the meeting noted that airline passenger security throughout the world has taken on a new significance since the September 11 attacks in the United States for both domestic and international travel.

They said the recent incident at Lethem reinforced this position in the context of Guyana.

Officials agreed that responsibility for the safety of the travelling public must be shared between the State, the airline operators and to a certain degree, the travelling public.

The strengthening of security arrangements by the Police and the airlines at all locations where necessary with the provision of Special Constables; security personnel authorised for "search and seizure", and "denied boarding"; the travelling public be encouraged to be more vigilant and quickly notify the authorities if anything of a suspicious nature is observed, are other agreements reached.

The group also agreed to meet regularly to share information with a view to continuously improving the security environment at Guyana's airstrips and airport.

The foreigners on November 14 hijacked the plane in mid-air shortly after it took off from the Lethem Airstrip in the Rupununi for the Ogle aerodrome, East Coast Demerara.

The hijackers after taking over the 13-seater Cessna Caravan, ordered pilot, Captain Zaul Ramotar to land on a dirt airstrip in a remote area in Brazil.

Among the passengers on board were two officials of the World Bank, Mr. James Droop and Mr. Keith McLean; Guyana Action Party/Working People's Alliance (GAP/WPA) Member of Parliament, Ms. Shirley Melville; Canadians Mr. William Dilden, Mr. Donald McNabb and Mr. Robert Eric Foster and British citizen, Mr Barrie Burke.

The hijackers eventually allowed the plane to leave Brazil and federal authorities there are trying to track down the four men.