The general secretary of the British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) has called for a “fundamental review” of airport security.
Jim McAuslan, BALPA’s general secretary, said the current system “fails to recognise the position that pilots hold in the security chain”.
“Resources must be targeted at the greatest threats rather than the current blanket approach,” he said.
Pilots believe the ideology behind terrorist actions will continue, said McAuslan, despite Bin Laden’s death of Osama Bin Laden.
It “may prove not to be the death of a terrorist but the birth of a martyr,” he said.
“Osama Bin Laden led and controlled a huge terrorist organisation aimed at disrupting the lives of those seen as his enemy.
“Losing their leader may strike at the morale of the Islamic terrorist but there can be little doubt that groups of adherents will be ready to prove they can continue.”