US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will travel to Spain and Switzerland this month for discussions on ensuring that flights to the United States are meeting safety standards, dpa quoted the department as announcing today. Napolitano will travel to Toledo, Spain, on January 21 for meetings with Interior Minister Alfredo Rubalcaba before heading to Switzerland the following day to meet with the International Air Transport Association, the Homeland Security Department said. Napolitano"s trip will come a month after a suspected al-Qaeda operative tried to blow up a flight as it approached landing in Detroit. The attack on the December 25 Delta/Northwest Airlines flight prompted a worldwide review after the Nigerian man was allegedly able to board the aircraft in Amsterdam with explosives that failed to detonate as planned. The suspect, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, remains in custody and has reportedly told authorities he acquired the material in addition to training from al-Qaeda during a stay in Yemen. The International Air Transport Association represents 230 airlines and more than 90 per cent of the world"s air traffic, the Homeland Security Department said.
