Theresa May wants world leaders to agree on better air security at her first UN General Assembly

The Prime Minister will have her first bilateral meeting with the UN Secretary General in New York

British Prime Minister Theresa May is heading to the UN in New York (Getty)

International action is needed to protect passenger jets and airports from terrorism, Theresa May will tell world leaders at the United Nations next week.

The Prime Minister wants the UN’s Security Council to pass a resolution pledging further measures to tackle the terrorist threat to air travel and will push for an agreement to strengthen security at airports around the world.

She will join leaders in New York on Monday for a summit which will also focus on the migration crisis, with US president Barack Obama and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon both keen to secure progress before they leave their posts.

It will be Mrs May’s first appearance at the UN and, with interest high over the UK’s post-Brexit future, she has been given a slot to address the whole assembly on Tuesday.

The UK resolution would commit nations to implementing higher standards of security in and around airports, following terror attacks like the one in Brussels earlier this year and the downing of a Russian Metrojet flight from Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt in October 2015 .

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (Icao) has a series of security standards but the UK believes more can be done to implement them fully.

The UK already has a network of aviation security liaison officers helping countries around the world to help improve protection against terrorism.

The push for a UN Security Council resolution, expected to be considered after Mrs May has left New York, comes ahead of Icao's assembly later in September.

A UK official said: “We’ve drafted this resolution; we’ve been working with the New Zealanders, who currently have the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council.

“We’ve got the four other [permanent] members basically on board and we are now in negotiations with the [states] who currently make up the Security Council.”

“We hope that we will get it over the line next week.”

The Prime Minister is also expected to have a private meeting with business leaders in the States to promote trade with the UK post-Brexit. She will also have a bilateral meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, with global migration and the situation in Syria forming key themes of the gathering.

Mrs May will be joined by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and International Development Secretary Priti Patel.

Additional reporting by Press Association