Europe Tries Developing Hijack-Proof Plane

It sounds awful to say, but 9/11 is the simplest way of pointing out the reality of a plane ride gone wrong. Plane companies, however, are refusing to go down without a fight as they work together to create the hijack-proof airplane.

A series of advancements in airplane tech are being developed by 31 companies under the Security of Aircraft in the Future European Environment project (SAFEE). These new pieces of tech hope to decrease the security risks that can occur in the post-9/11 environment.

Airbus is working on the unobtrusive surveillance tech (mics and cameras) to monitor passengers in the cabins, while NLR is setting up biometric fingerprinting technology for planes, to ensure that only crew members can enter the cockpit. The Thales company is working on an upgrade to autopiloting: an anti-collision system to prevent crashes into buildings.

The total budget of the whole venture? 36,000,000 Euros (over $45,000,000 US), excluding the cost of installing the tech on future airplanes.

While it does seem to be a step in the right direction, passengers may find themselves somewhat wary of the lack of privacy that can come from something like this. Still, it does seem that these innovations might come into play for the next generation of aircraft rather than the current ones.

It sounds awful to say, but 9/11 is the simplest way of pointing out the reality of a plane ride gone wrong. Plane companies, however, are refusing to go down without a fight as they work together to create the hijack-proof airplane.

A series of advancements in airplane tech are being developed by 31 companies under the Security of Aircraft in the Future European Environment project (SAFEE). These new pieces of tech hope to decrease the security risks that can occur in the post-9/11 environment.

Airbus is working on the unobtrusive surveillance tech (mics and cameras) to monitor passengers in the cabins, while NLR is setting up biometric fingerprinting technology for planes, to ensure that only crew members can enter the cockpit. The Thales company is working on an upgrade to autopiloting: an anti-collision system to prevent crashes into buildings.

The total budget of the whole venture? 36,000,000 Euros (over $45,000,000 US), excluding the cost of installing the tech on future airplanes.

While it does seem to be a step in the right direction, passengers may find themselves somewhat wary of the lack of privacy that can come from something like this. Still, it does seem that these innovations might come into play for the next generation of aircraft rather than the current ones.