KEY POINTS:
A group of Sikh priests has exposed a gaping loophole in airport security after they boarded an Air New Zealand plane carrying ceremonial daggers under their robes.
The pilot confiscated the daggers after they managed to board the flight without having to pass through any form of security
at Auckland's domestic terminal.
The men, who are understood to be priests visiting from India, were walking on to the Napier-bound flight on Sunday when alarmed passengers noticed the daggers poking out from under their traditional dress.
They told the cabin crew, who alerted the pilot before the daggers were seized and locked in the cockpit for the flight.
"When we were getting on the plane [other passengers] looked quite concerned," said passenger David Anderson. "You could see them looking at each other and a couple of people were kind of nervous.
"I did my post 9/11 paranoid citizen duty and informed the stewardess ... who informed the pilot. They both stood there for a while exchanging concerned glances, then the pilot bucked up the courage to go and talk to the gentlemen."
Mr Anderson said the pilot confiscated the daggers - called kirpans and worn by baptised Sikhs - and locked them in the cockpit.
Although Mr Anderson doubted the men had any intention of using the kirpans as weapons, he said it was a concern that people could still get sharp objects on flights given heightened security since 9/11.
"There was no security screening whatsoever," he said.
"I checked in electronically. No photo ID was needed. I then boarded the plane without passing through a metal detector or having my bags x-rayed. This is the second time I have done this flight and it was the same the previous time.
"If this had happened in America there would have been helicopters and Swat teams and megaphones and no one would have been going to Napier in a hurry. But we do things differently Downunder, I guess."
An Air NZ spokeswoman said the men willingly handed over their kirpans and the flight ran as scheduled. She said any potential or real threats to safety were taken very seriously and a report had been submitted to the Civil Aviation Authority about what had happened.
Ministry of Transport safety and security group manager Bruce Johnson said policy for screening passengers applied only to planes with more than 90 seats as they were deemed the most at risk of hostage-takers.
While screening did happen on some domestic flights to large cities, it was pretty much non-existent on flights to smaller regional centres. There were signs warning passengers it was prohibited to take sharp items on planes.
Mr Johnson said there were no plans to change or review the screening policy, despite what had happened.
New Zealand Air Line Pilots Association president Mark Rammell said he was concerned to hear about any case where a passenger got on a flight with a weapon but there were limitations on what the legislation covered in regards to screening and security requirements.
The president of the Auckland NZ Sikh Society, Daljit Singh, said it was common for men to put their kirpan, which is normally less than six inches, in their luggage while flying internationally as they understood the need for security after 9/11.
In this case he suspected the visiting Indians might not have realised they needed to remove their kirpans, given that they had not gone through any security at the airport.
New Zealand First's defence and security spokesman, Ron Mark, said it might be time to reassess screening requirements for medium-sized planes that weren't already subject to security checks.
Traditional Sikh Dress
* There are five essential Ks in the Sikh dress code. Men and women are required to wear their hair long and never cut it (kesh). They also have to wear a steel bracelet (kara), a dagger (kirpan), a wooden comb (kangha) and long underpants (kach).
* The kirpan is worn by baptised Sikhs as a symbol of their willingness to fight in defence of their beliefs and the continued fight against evil.
