There were 40 attempts on US planes in 1969, yet still the authorities balked at the idea of screening. Checks were fairly rudimentary. Staff were looking for suspicious behaviour, and just 0.5 percent of passengers were screened with an electronic magnetometer.

Over the next 30 years airport security was tightened around the world, but still it wasn’t tight enough to prevent many hijackings and blown-up planes. Certain airports in certain countries were notorious for their light touch or non-existent checks.

Everything changed after 9/11, when four planes were hijacked in the USA and flown into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. From 2001 onwards the world’s airports have brought in ever tighter airport screening measures, deploying increasingly sophisticated detection equipment.

Today it’s an unavoidable preliminary to the flight, that slow trudge through security, as we take off jackets and coats and shoes and belts, and display our under 100 ml liquids and hope we don’t qualify for the always slightly degrading frisking and baggage check.