Security passes for 300 staff providing services for the lounge areas at Heathrow have been suspended against the backdrop of a police investigation into alleged fraud linked to passes.
Two women, aged 20 and 24, were arrested on 28 July and bailed until November on suspicion of fraud and money laundering, Scotland Yard said on Wednesday.
Sodexo, a contractor at the airport, subsequently confirmed that the airside passes of around 300 employees were suspended as “as a precautionary measure”.
The company said that the move was part of an ongoing investigation and that it was unable to provide further comment. The staff are believed to include cleaners and caterers.
Police said other matters had arisen since the arrests, which are believed to relate to airside security passes at Heathrow – one of the busiest airports in the world. The concern is believed to be around the processing of passes, according to Sky News.
However, Scotland Yard said there was “no evidence that airside passes have been sold”.
A Metropolitan police spokeswoman confirmed two women had been arrested. “They have been arrested in relation to an allegation that money has been fraudulently taken from a bank account,” she said.
“Other matters have come to light during the inquiries and form part of the ongoing investigation.”
Permanent and temporary passes are provided to flight crews, baggage handlers and a range of other staff working at Heathrow, which has around 70,000 workers.
Tighter checks for airport staff and stronger restrictions on access to sensitive areas were introduced in 2002 following two multi-million pound robberies at the airport. Current vetting require applicants for airside passes to provide five years’ employment references without gaps.
Although there is no indication that the arrests and the suspension of the airside passes are in any way terror-related, they come at a time when concerns about airport security have been brought into sharp focus once again in the wake of the attack on Brussels airport earlier this year.
Aviation security in the UK is under constant review, according to the Department for Transport, while an increased police presence at Heathrow is believed to have been in place for some time.
As recently as last month, a transport minister said that the government was taking “all steps necessary to keep the public safe” after a threat was reportedly made against the airport.
An alert from non-governmental counter-terrorism organisation Site Intelligence Group warned of a threat being made by a “pro-Islamic State Twitter account”.
It was reported to have threatened attacks on planes flying from Heathrow to the US across the US Independence Day holiday weekend. The alert also warned “there will be a device placed in either Heathrow, LAX [Los Angeles] or JFK [New York] airports”.
Speaking about the latest concerns over access, the Department for Transport said: “We are aware of this issue. Safety and security of passengers is our priority.”
“We keep aviation security under constant review, but as this matter is the subject of an ongoing police investigation we are unable to comment further at this time.”
