Rep. John Katko, R-N.Y., and a group of House members visited airports in Amman, Jordan, and Frankfurt, Germany last week as part of an effort to discuss aviation security and direct flights into the U.S. with various officials.
The delegation — which was comprised of Democratic Reps. Filemon Vela, of Texas, and Bonnie Watson Coleman, of New Jersey, and Republican Reps. Ron Estes, of Kansas, and Gus Bilirakis, of Florida — spent last Wednesday and Thursday in Amman and Friday and Saturday in Frankfurt to meet with officials and tour various sites.
“Terrorists remain intent on taking down aircraft,” Katko, chairman of the House Homeland Security Transportation and Protective Subcommittee, said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “We must continue to stay ahead of the evolving and persistent threat to the global aviation sector—starting with enhanced coordination and collaboration with foreign partners.”
While in Jordan, Katko and his team witnessed the ramifications of one of his 2016 provisions that permitted the TSA to donate U.S. passenger screening equipment to foreign nations such as Jordan while the delegation toured Queen Alia International Airport.
They also met with Prince Faisal bin Al-Hussein to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and visited Za’atri Refugee Camp, which houses 83,000 refugees from Syria.
Additionally, the delegation visited Frankfurt International Airport to evaluate security measures, cooperative efforts, and information-sharing procedures. The airport has the most direct flights to the U.S. than any other airport globally.
U.S. officials from the U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt also informed the delegation about security in Europe, along with Germany’s current political landscape and the ramifications of Brexit upon the European Union.
“After examining three critical last point of departure airports, I remain committed to ensuring the security of passengers and cargo on direct flights into the United States, and building on our shared partnerships,” Katko said.
The delegation also visited Holland earlier in the week, where the team met with various law enforcement agencies and government officials in Holland and the European Union.
