The government is considering outsourcing the supervision of security of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport as a part of its decision to comply with almost all proposals of the UK government to improve airport security, officials said. Prime minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to convey the decision on measures being taken on airport security to British prime minister David Cameron anytime this week. Cameron asked her in a letter to substantially improve airport security on March 8, the day the United Kingdom imposed restrictions on allowing cargo on direct flights from Dhaka until further notice. Meanwhile, the government on Sunday appointed Air Vice Marshal Ehsanul Gani Chaudhury as chairman of Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh, replacing Air Vice Marshal M Sanaul Haque, who was sent back to the Bangladesh Air Force. The public administration ministry issued a gazette notification to the effect. In a meeting at Prime Minister’s Office at Tejgaon on Sunday, the British high commission in Dhaka recommended appointment of a private security firm from among four, including UK-based G4S, for enhancing security at the airport. British high commissioner Alison Blake recommended the name of G4S at the meeting presided over by civil aviation minister Rashed Khan Menon. A Bangladesh official told New Age that the UK’s delegation proposed the names of four private security firms but advocated for appointing G4S, a British multinational security services company operating across 120 countries headquartered in central London. The names of three others could not be confirmed while no statement from UK High Commission in Dhaka was available following the meeting. Asked about the proposal to appoint any of the four private security agencies, the civil aviation minister declined to comment on the issue, but said they had discussed how the suspension could be lifted immediately by fulfilling the international requirements set by the UK. The senior cabinet member, however, told New Age that the suspension has huge political and economic impact. ‘We are taking it as a part of improving overall aviation security.’ The minister said the UK delegation has given short-term, mid-term and long-term observations regarding airport security. Based on the observation, the government has instituted a seven-member steering committee chaired by the Civil Aviation minister, said a press statement. It said the steering committee would hold its review meeting on March 20. Another official said that the UK delegation said they would talk to Jon Lovesey, the New Delhi based regional aviation security liaison officer, Asia and Pacific, for UK’s transport department, to follow up on measurements taken to lift the suspension. On March 8, the United Kingdom, based on the report from Jon Lovesey, decided not to allow cargo on direct flights from Dhaka until further notice, as the security arrangement at Dhaka airport was not up to the mark in their view. Among other issues discussed at the meeting, the authorities said that Explosives Trace Detection will be used for all cargo once it is procured, while for the time being sniffer dogs and dual view X-ray machines are being applied to all cargo. Officials said one ETD machine is placed at the cargo section and two more will be placed there once it is procured. Officials also said the procurement of more CCTV cameras was also under process. Officials said 187 out of 250 newly-appointed personnel have been deployed at the aviation security unit, and rest of the personnel will be deployed soon. The prime minister’s security advisor retired Major General Tarique Ahmed Siddique, senior home secretary Mozammel Hoque Khan, foreign secretary Shahidul Haque, civil aviation and tourism secretary Khurshid Alam Chowdhury, outgoing CAAB chairman M Sanaul Haque and Biman Bangladesh Airlines acting managing director Asaduzzaman, among others, were present in the afternoon meeting with the UK delegation, attended by their political and counter terrorism officials. UK transport authority had reportedly provided a scathing assessment of the security at HSIA in its report in December, before finally suspending direct cargo flights to UK on March 8. The UK authorities had also done another assessment of HSIA security in November that year. Meanwhile, Denis O’Sullivan, an EU Independent Aviation Security Validator and ICAO AVSEC Manger at Business Change Consultancy based in United Kingdom, on Sunday started his five-day inspection of the cargo village to complete his final audit report. Currently, the EU requires air carriers to be designated as ‘Air Cargo or Mail Carrier operating into the Union from a Third Country Airport’. The validity of Bangladesh’s current permit will expire on March 31. ‘If the Validator finds all indicators satisfactory in the audit report then we can continue cargo services after March 31,’ said a senior official at the Dhaka airport. Officials said that a United States team will inspect the HSIA on March 23. The United States are set to send three delegations this month to discuss issues including cyber crimes, counter terrorism and aviation security, officials said. The Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Sunday urged quick solution on the bans imposed by UK and Australia on direct air cargo flight. Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the only national flag carrier carries cargo directly to the UK in its four weekly passenger flights. Meanwhile, on December 19, 2015 Australia also banned direct air cargo flight from Bangladesh, citing the same concern. DCCI urged the Bangladesh government to work jointly with UK and Australia to improve overall security requirements. According to DCCI, if this ban is not lifted soon Bangladeshi exporters have to export their products through Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand or Dubai, which will definitely increase cost of doing business and time.
