Why airports need full-proof security
Flurries of activities are in progress now over security arrangements in the country’s prime airport. Amid concerns raised by a number of countries, the government, as the reports said, has decided to appoint an internationally-reputed British contractor to strengthen the security arrangements at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka.
The contractor will reportedly work jointly with the Bangladesh authorities concerned to ensure safety and security of transportation as well as scanning and screening of goods and cargoes.
With the appointment of the new contractor, the government expects the ban on carrying cargo on direct flights from Dhaka to London to be withdrawn.
The British High Commissioner in Bangladesh was reported to have noted this development as opening an opportunity for resumption of direct cargo flights between Dhaka and London. The new company, as the High Commissioner said, will be able to find out areas which fail to meet international standards and take necessary measures to correct those.
The British government, to mention, imposed a ban on direct cargo flights from Dhaka to the UK from March 08 last until further notice as the HSIA did allegedly fail to meet some international security requirements. All airlines carrying cargo between Bangladesh and the UK on indirect routes were asked to ensure re-screening before the final journey to the UK.
The country’s total exports by end of this fiscal year are expected to reach $34 billion, surpassing the annual target at $33.5 billion. Exports to the member-countries of the European Union (EU) including the UK, are on a steady rise. With this ban, exports to the UK, mostly ready-made garments (RMG) and vegetables, are likely to bear the major brunt of it, until the time it is withdrawn.
The UK, to mention, is one of the largest bilateral grant donors for Bangladesh. Besides, some 100 UK firms have operations in this country.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has requested her British counterpart David Cameron to reconsider the embargo imposed on direct cargo flights between Dhaka and London. She, as the reports said, has reiterated her government’s readiness to work with the British government to improve security and other issues, while admitting some security lapses.
Despite repeated warnings from different countries, Dhaka international airport is yet to meet global security requirements. This has prompted the UK to ban direct air cargo from Bangladesh. If the matter is not addressed satisfactorily, the British government has also cautioned the Bagaldesh side that operations of direct passenger flights between Dhaka and UK airports might be stopped.
Australia took similar steps and banned air cargo flights from Dhaka. Dhaka-New York direct flights remained suspended primarily on security reasons for long.
In spite of having bilateral agreement between Bangladesh and the UK in this connection, why such a situation has arisen remains a question.
Back in January, the United States did also express concern over security issue at the Dhaka international airport. It had given Bangladesh a three-months’ notice for the implementation of a joint work plan.
Mr. Cameron’s letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina indicated that the plan had not been fully materialised as yet. It is very important to implement the plan within the timeframe set by those countries.
Improper use of the facility at the very important person (VIP) lounge at the Dhaka international airport undermines the security of this key point installation. Many had lodged complaints about misuse of the VIP lounge in the past. Threats from ‘certain quarters’ are of utmost concern to the government. This has also called for beefing up security further at the country’s three international airports.
The government has planned to purchase security equipment to ensure that no explosives, firearms, and dangerous devices, goods, or objects slip through the three international airports. In this connection, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council approved a Tk 895 million project for buying the equipment, according to reports.
Following the crash of a Russian jet over Egypt’s Sinai desert in October last, the UK Department of Transportation made a list of 38 airports in 20 countries, including Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport that have security lapses. The department had been pushing for upgraded security arrangements in all these airports since then.
Very recently, Bangladesh apparel sector leaders sat with Australian retailer Kmart, and two other clothing companies-Woolworths and Target-that have outlets in Australia to express their concern and find a solution to the problem. Australia is also a potential destination for Bangladesh as the latter’s exports, particularly of readymade garment items, to the former, are on the rise, with higher demand for the locally-made, cheaper clothing products.
Progress about implementation of the work plan since January, in real times, is yet to gather pace. So far, there has been no work on setting up of a separate force, training, and procurement of the required equipment for airport security. The country’s civil aviation authority has not been able, until now, to attain the standards that were set forth.
The British ban on cargo flights from Dhaka has already given rise to fears about Bangladesh’s vegetable exports to the UK. RMG exports have already been affected. Hence, immediate action needs to be taken to ensure tight security at the international airport in Dhaka and other international airports of the country.
While technical capacity is needed for this, ensuring an efficient and corruption-free administration at the airports is also a prime need. The matter has to be immediately addressed for the sake of international trade, passenger travel, security, and image issues.
