I’m sure you all have some knowledge about how airport security checks around the globe changed and intensified in the early 2000s following the September 11 attacks on the United States, but have you ever thought about the changes made to the actual aeroplanes? Well, if you don’t, you’re in luck! My dad worked as an aircraft engineer for Air New Zealand post-9/11, and here’s what he had to say about it:  

“Following the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) mandated hardened cockpit doors that are resistant to forcible intrusion and small firearms on most passenger airline aircraft and large, all-cargo aeroplanes operation in the United States. 

Most, if not all, countries took this approach to regulating aircraft operating within their borders. This involved replacing the existing cockpit door with a hardened one and reinforcing the surrounding door structure to accommodate the new door. I was one of the many maintenance staff that carried out this modification on Air New Zealand aircraft.” 

Well, there you have it folks. Aircraft modifications to up security were at an all-time high in at the start of this century, and while hijacking existed before the attacks in 2001, the first true modifications to the aircraft themselves only came after! The next time you hit that airport dad pose, hit people with the facts too!