Singapore will put armed guards on more flights by flag carrier Singapore Airlines and is seeking stronger international coordination to thwart attacks on commercial aircraft, the government said on Monday.

Singapore, which agreed last month to put undercover guards on flights to and from Australia, did not identify new routes for tighter security but an official said the country was a target because of its support for the United States.

"The threat is real. The threat is urgent. The threat is serious," a government official cited Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan as telling reporters.

"I see air marshals being a common feature for all airlines in the coming years," Tan said.

Last week the United States ordered foreign airlines to put armed guards on certain flights to and from the United States. Several airlines have said they would cooperate with the order.

Although Singapore has yet to outline its plans for flights to the United States, Tan said he anticipated authorities increasingly demanding the use of guards.

"It will come to a stage when an airline without air marshals will not be allowed to land at certain airports," said Tan, who is also Coordinating Minister for Security and Defense.

Singapore and Australia have already agreed to put agents on flights between the two countries this year, and Singapore is close to finalizing a similar pact with Thailand.

Singapore was a target because of its support for the United States in Iraq, Tan said, adding that he would work with allies on shielding commercial aircraft against surface-to-air missiles and coaxing governments in the region to share the cost.

He said he wanted the issue to be raised when Association of South East Asian Nations ministers meet in Bangkok this week to discuss trans-national crime.

Specific information about a possible terror threat led British Airways to cancel two flights from Britain to Washington and one to the Saudi capital Riyadh last week. Flights from Mexico and France to the United States were also canceled over the holiday period because of security fears.

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