WASHINGTON, April 28 (UPI) -- Bermuda has signed an agreement with the U.S. Homeland Security Department that establishes new aviation-security clearance practices.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Ewart Brown, Bermuda premier and minister of tourism and transport, signed an agreement that expands previous aviation-security measures between Bermuda and the United States, the Homeland Security Department reported last week.
Under the signed deal, Bermuda security authorities will extend passenger preclearance measures to include private aircraft flying to the United States from Bermuda. Officials said the program, which already includes commercial aircraft, will allow U.S. Customs and Border Protection to screen private aircraft for potential nuclear threats.
"This agreement with Bermuda helps us get closer to our critical goal of expanding aviation security to general aviation," Napolitano said in a statement.
"We've been working with our international and private-sector partners to begin the screening process before a private aircraft arrives in the United States, providing our law-enforcement officers with advance notification of who is traveling to the (United States) and helping them identify and mitigate potential threats before they arrive on our soil."
