Country’s airports lag behind Sri Lanka in standards, efforts underway to raise score

An airport needs to have at least 65 points out of 100 to operate under the international aviation system. Bangladesh has a score of 68. The score was last calculated in 2018. That means Bangladesh’s rating was only three points above the minimum score. A seven-member team is coming to Bangladesh from Montreal, Canada to assess the country’s current level.

Bangladesh lags behind Nepal, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka among South Asian countries in aviation security.

Against this backdrop, a team of technical experts from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is scheduled to arrive by the end of October to audit the security systems at Bangladesh’s three international airports. The specialized team will determine a new score after conducting on site observations.

Bangladesh Aviation Security is now working with a target of securing 75 points. As the ICAO team’s arrival approaches, efforts are underway to improve the security system to meet that target. From October 26 to November 6, the expert team will conduct onsite inspections and assessments in three phases. The first phase will cover Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka. The second phase will cover Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram and the third phase will cover Osmani International Airport in Sylhet.

Bangladesh’s position on the global aviation map and the expansion of domestic and international flight operations largely depends on this audit score. The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) is also concerned about whether the team will identify any major security flaws before the opening of the third terminal at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.

CAAB Member (Security) Air Commodore Md Asif Iqbal said, “All preparations to ensure security have been completed. The installation of equipment is also nearing completion. Training preparations for officials have been completed. Now trials are underway to see how each department will perform. I hope we will be able to meet the target.”

If a country fails to achieve the minimum score in the audit or if serious security deficiencies are identified, ICAO directly issues a “red flag” or an important safety warning. If this happens, approval for new flights on international routes is suspended. Aircraft flying from Bangladesh may face restrictions in the airspace of developed countries. Higher premiums also have to be paid for aircraft leasing or insurance.

Thailand is one of the prominent examples of such an incident in Asia. In 2015, ICAO issued a “red flag” against the country after it failed to meet 33 international standards related to security and oversight. As a result, the United States and the European Union suspended flights by Thai airlines on new routes. Thailand later ensured 100 percent security by implementing a specific plan.

In the 2018 ICAO security audit, Bangladesh received an overall Effective Implementation (EI) score of 68.5 percent. The score was slightly higher than the international benchmark of 65 percent at the time. Several serious structural deficiencies were identified then.

The audit report identified relaxed access control and weak pass systems in restricted airport areas, a lack of screening and modern inspection equipment, shortcomings in the skills of aviation security personnel compared with international standards and weaknesses in the legal basis for strictly enforcing security regulations as major deficiencies.

CAAB has failed to address those shortcomings even after eight years. Strong preparations have now begun after receiving news of the technical team’s arrival. CAAB is implementing an action plan with a target of securing at least 75 to 76 percent or more by addressing the previous weaknesses. To this end, a special “Air Navigation Order” has been issued under the Civil Aviation Act 2017 to bring security protocols under strict legal obligations.

At the same time, four new body scanners, dual view X ray baggage scanners and 25 explosive trace detectors brought from China are being installed at the airports. An agreement has also been signed with the Bangladesh Computer Council to address cyber risks. Mandatory “Supplementary Station Procedures” have been introduced for 36 foreign airlines.

As regional connectivity through Chattogram has increased, the team will also assess whether the security protocols there fully meet international standards. Before that, a CAAB team is expected to conduct a trial run next week to assess the security system. Group Captain Mohammad Nur Hossain, director of Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram, said, “Nine new scanners and six explosive detection scanner machines are being installed. The entire airport has been brought under greater surveillance through 81 additional modern CCTV cameras.”

Among South Asian countries, Sri Lanka has the highest score in the security and safety audit conducted by the International Civil Aviation Organization. It scored 88.5 points in the 2018 audit. In addition, India scored 86 points in the 2022 audit, the Maldives scored 85 points in the 2021 audit, Pakistan scored 84.5 points and Nepal scored 70 points in the 2022 audit.