Police hunt Leeds Bradford Airport radio hoaxers
27.01.10
Radio hoaxers have been risking lives by posing as air crew and sending bogus messages to air traffic controllers at Leeds Bradford Airport. A police investigation has begun to catch the illegal broadcasters who have been using specialist equipment – and specific airline ‘call signs’ – to disrupt planes landing or taking off from the airport.
There have been two incidents reported to police by airport staff since Christmas, both sparking safety concerns. Mark Winterbourne, chairman of Project Griffin, the airport’s anti-terrorism operation, said: ‘These people must think they are having a laugh but it is a very juvenile and immature act where the consequences could be so dire, you cannot imagine.’
He said that, although air traffic controllers were aware of all of the planes’ flight paths, the hoax broadcasts could cause danger by distracting the controller and, if they take the messages seriously, cause them to move other planes, increasing the possibility of aircraft colliding.
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