Aviation security rules must be applied equally to everyone, including VIPs and CIPs, and no one can be exempted from airport security screening.
Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Afroza Khanam said this in her chair’s remarks at the first meeting of the reconstituted National Civil Aviation Security Committee (NCSC) at the headquarters of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) on Thursday (6 August).
The minister directed the relevant authorities to quickly implement the decisions taken at the 13th meeting of the NCSC, the country’s highest policymaking and coordinating body on civil-aviation security.
Referring to Bangladesh’s upcoming International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) security audit, she said the country’s international image was closely tied to its results, and directed all relevant agencies to ensure full compliance with ICAO standards in areas where observations might arise.
Afroza Khanam also said ensuring quality service for passengers was a government priority, and called on all concerned to work together to improve services, especially for expatriate Bangladeshi passengers.
State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism M Rashiduzzaman Millat said the government would install an anti-drone system to prevent unauthorised drone flights in airport areas. He said the NCSC had met after nearly three years, so all concerned must be sincere in effectively implementing its decisions. He also said security equipment, including scanners, should be kept in numbers beyond the minimum requirement to ensure uninterrupted security operations, and directed law-enforcement agencies to take strict action over any violation of aviation-security law.
The meeting reviewed various steps to further strengthen Bangladesh’s civil-aviation security, including strengthening intelligence-sharing among agencies, effectively implementing the national civil-aviation security programme, following ICAO security standards, using modern security technology and adopting strategic plans to meet future security challenges.
The committee stressed further strengthening security at the entrances of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, boosting the effectiveness of the under-vehicle scanning system (UVSS), and signing memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with the relevant ministries and agencies to strengthen emergency and crisis management at all civil airports in the country.
It also recommended stronger coordination among the CAAB, the Armed Police Battalion (APBN), Bangladesh Police, Ansar, the airport magistrate and other agencies to prevent traffic congestion, unauthorised gatherings, begging and illegal luggage-wrapping in the landside area of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. The committee recommended taking legal action if needed to improve passenger service, maintain discipline and further strengthen overall airport security.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report