Survey: Aussies Want Tougher Anti-Terrorist Security for Airports

A new Australian survey has found overwhelming support for stricter anti-terrorism measures for air travel.

More than 98 per cent of the respondents to the Newspoll survey believe the aviation industry needs to tighten baggage screening and identity checks for passengers, or place greater restrictions on cars and non-travellers at airports.

Andrew Barkly from the security company UNISYS, which commissioned the survey, says the findings reflect a heightened concern on security and a willingness to act.

"When we asked a question about what people would be willing to do, we were surprised to see that people would be willing to provide a biometric identifier - like a fingerprint," he said.

Meanwhile, a record number of international air travellers visited Australia last year.

The Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics has released its aviation statistics for 2006, showing nearly 21.5 million passengers travelled through Australia.

That is an increase of 3 per cent compared to the previous year.

Qantas had the largest share of the market with 28 per cent, followed by Singapore Airlines with 11 per cent and Air New Zealand with 9 per cent.

Almost half of the passengers travelled through Sydney Airport.

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