Unscreened passenger on SYD to MEL flight results in entire flight being rescreened on arrival

[33kft]

From the article:

More than 200 passengers were escorted off a plane overnight over a security screening issue at Sydney Airport.
Passengers on Qantas flight 487 from Sydney to Melbourne were told that a single passenger had not been screened properly on Wednesday night.

The issue was reportedly discovered when the plane was in mid air.

https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/airport-security-breach-forces-200-passengers-to-be-escorted-by-afp/news-story/577dc4e14a3a273b4917941175b87ce8

I wonder how this was picked up mid-flight?

 

[Hvr]

Why would pax need to be security screened upon arrival if not proceeding further?
And would the actual plane they flew on need to be security checked prior to future flights?

https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/airport-security-breach-forces-200-passengers-to-be-escorted-by-afp/news-story/577dc4e14a3a273b4917941175b87ce8

Passengers on Qantas flight 487 from Sydney to Melbourne were told that a single passenger had not been screened properly on Wednesday night.

 

[Seat0B]

Good questions @Hvr. Whole thing is a bit unlucky for Qantas - airport screening is most likely an airport issue, but most of the punters won’t know this

 

[kyle]

Is there much point if the plane landed safely?

 

[SydneySwan]

Is there much point if the plane landed safely?

Yes what exactly is the point of this? This only makes sense prior to take-off.

 

[Pushka]

I read yesterday of someone trying to light up a cigarette mid flight. Maybe similar.

 

[33kft]

Yes what exactly is the point of this? This only makes sense prior to take-off.

Thinking about it, my theory is:

• Someone (who likely doesn't have a job today) left a landside to airside opening open.
• Passenger took it
• Passenger went straight to gate
• Someone found the opening and reported it
• Security checked CCTV, identified the flight
• Now there's a concern that unscreened passenger could compromise screened passengers on the flight who may then connect on to other flights

Hence the rescreening of all pax.

 

[RooFlyer]

Yes what exactly is the point of this? This only makes sense prior to take-off.

I guess they can then still say :"we screen everyone on every flight"

 

[Guvner]

What could they do if you refused? Deport you?

 

[RooFlyer]

What could they do if you refused? Deport you?

Keep you, as an unscreened, possible threat - airside

 

[Hvr]

The passenger who wasn't screened is currently speaking on 3AW.

He flew in from Orange and instead of being off loaded in the land side area, all passengers were let into the secure area.
He self reported at the Qantas club.

Pax from regional flights need to be screened on arrival in SYD prior to going air side.

 

[justinbrett]

Pax from regional flights need to be screened on arrival in SYD prior to going air side.

Well, only those flights that operate from airports without passenger screening facilities. Many regional airports do have them.

 

[33kft]

He self reported at the Qantas club.

Well that makes the whole thing bizarre. Why let him board and then offload the entire flight for screening on arrival?

 

[Ade]

Unsure if I need to start a new thread for this. But today at SYD International, the automated passport gates "timed-out" after taking the pic of pax. So the passport scan works fine, pax show up to photo taken, photo taken and times out. So pax is effectively locked between the passport scan gate and photo gate. Then a ABF officer has to let pax out manually, ask them to join another queue to manually process exit. Took me 20 mins to clear passport control today due to this issue.

 

[jakeseven7]

After the interview this morning with the Fed police spokesperson, there is clearly something more to this story that we aren't being told (yet).

Anyway bad luck to the people affected by this person.

 

[dajop]

Why would pax need to be security screened upon arrival if not proceeding further?

Reading further into the article they weren’t, it mentions that passengers were escorted to the unscreened area, i.e. to the exit. Therefore those not continuing on with a connection would not have been screened.

 

[Rangalad]

The passenger who wasn't screened is currently speaking on 3AW.

He flew in from Orange and instead of being off loaded in the land side area, all passengers were let into the secure area.
He self reported at the Qantas club.

Pax from regional flights need to be screened on arrival in SYD prior to going air side.

IIRC He mentioned this happened to more than one flight.

 

[Rangalad]

The passenger who wasn't screened is currently speaking on 3AW.

He flew in from Orange and instead of being off loaded in the land side area, all passengers were let into the secure area.
He self reported at the Qantas club.

Pax from regional flights need to be screened on arrival in SYD prior to going air side.

IIRC He mentioned this happened to more than one flight.

 

[Hvr]

Reading further into the article they weren’t, it mentions that passengers were escorted to the unscreened area, i.e. to the exit. Therefore those not continuing on with a connection would not have been screened.

And this article says they were required to be rescreened. Also, as noted by @Rangalad there were several flights from regional airports without screening facilities that were misdirected into the screened area.

Qantas passengers escorted through Melbourne airport after Sydney security breach

The captain informed hundreds of passengers landing at Melbourne that security officials would escort them through the airport.

www.smh.com.au

He added that passengers were not forced to unpack their belongings or take their laptops out for inspection, and instead underwent a “walk-through” screening process.

 

[NM]

Upoin arrival at MEL, since passengers can mix with others in the terminal, it makes sense to escort the entire flight of passengers out of the secure area, but only those with connecting flights shoudl need to re-access the secure area and hence require to be screened. Anyone completing their journey at MEL, having been escorted from the arriving gate to the baggage collection area should not require re-screening.