AIR CARGO SECURITY COMPLIANCE UK deadline almost impossible

Direct cargo flights between Bangladesh and UK are likely to remain suspended well beyond March pending airport security requirements within March 31.

Although Civil Aviation Minister Rashed Khan Menon has repeatedly said the government will be able to complete all tasks within the stipulated deadline, it is unlikely that formalities will be complete by the month end.

Menon even started working out of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, to implement the UK recommendations to ensure security and smooth functioning of the crucial communication hub of Bangladesh.

Expressing their concern, industry insiders said the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) could not fulfil British requirements in the last four months.

They told Dhaka Tribune on Saturday, it was already too late to meet all the requirements since they require more than a month.

The British government, on March 10, put an embargo on direct cargo flights from Dhaka as airport security procedures did not measure up to their standards.

The Civil Aviation Ministry held an urgent meeting following the British sanction.

CAAB and national flag carrier Biman promised to work closely while the ministry would supervise and coordinate the measures.

Civil Aviation Minister Rashed Khan Menon was set to meet the British envoy today but the meeting was cancelled on Saturday.

Meanwhile, a three-member team of US aviation experts is scheduled to arrive today to assist Bangladeshi authorities with enhancing security measures.

Improvement of overall security management, development of cargo facilities are expected to be the major focus from the
government’s end.

According to the British sanctions, however, indirect cargo airlines, touching other airports between Bangladesh and UK will be allowed to fly in provided they rescreen the cargo before their final leg to UK.

These include almost all airlines except Biman, which has direct flights between Dhaka and London.

CAAB sources said UK inspection teams visited Bangladesh twice at the end of last year when they stressed on the inadequate security in Dhaka Airport.

They also pointed out that airport security was weak due to easy access to sensitive areas of the airport.

Biman is the lone ground handling operator at Dhaka airport.

The team observed that the entire cargo area of the airport was run by outsiders who are not even permanent employees of the ground handler.

They pointed out that it would not be possible to identify the temporary staff members if they commit any crime that threaten security.

Moreover, outsiders, mainly employees of different Clearing & Forwarding Agents, are another threat on the ground.

The UK inspection team went on to mention that the cargo village area had turned into a ‘den’ for outsiders.

They recommended skilled security personnel to ensure better security management.

A civil aviation official said a special unit dedicated to airport security was formed last month.

The official, wishing to remain unnamed, also said this was the prime achievement in the last four months.

In the meantime, Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), has approved a project worth Tk90 crore to purchase modern ground handling equipment following British directives.

Requesting anonymity, another CAAB official said the procurement process of the new equipment would take at least 3-4 months.

Former CAAB chief, Air Commodore Iqbal Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune that the bureaucracy could not take swift decisions in any project due to cumbersome procedures.

He said CAAB and Biman has not been able to fulfil their requirements in last few months. “Now, they don’t even have a month to comply with the requirements.”

He said there was not much time to locally train or recruit the required security experts in the airport as suggested by UK. “In that case, we will have to hire foreign experts. But that will also take time.”

He said: It will take more time for a government body to implement the measures compared to a private organisation. It will be a major problem to complete the tasks within the stipulated time.

According to the UK report, body search is poor while passenger and staff screening is ineffective.

The procedure for cabin crew, CIP and VIP’s is also quite lax and not up to the mark.

Kazi Wahidul Alam, former member of Biman board said UK raised questions on security personnel’s skill which is not attainable within the short time.

He said the CAAB recruitment process was also flawed since a third of its employees are temporary raising security concerns.
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