The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) has completed nearly 80 per cent of its preparations for two major international aviation security audits. These assessments will be conducted by the United Kingdom's Department for Transport (DFT) and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
The audits will check how well Bangladesh follows international aviation safety rules. Passing them is very important for raising the country's status in the global aviation industry.
According to a CAAB press release, the DFT security audit will take place from July 14 to 17. This review will focus heavily on security setups for passengers and cargo travelling to the UK from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka and Osmani International Airport in Sylhet.
The second review, called the ICAO Universal Security Audit Programme – Continuous Monitoring Approach (USAP-CMA), is planned for October 26 to November 6. During this evaluation, ICAO experts will inspect security management at the CAAB headquarters, HSIA, and Osmani International Airport.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism is closely watching the safety preparations. Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Afroza Khanam Rita and State Minister M Rashiduzzaman Millat are regularly reviewing the progress to give necessary instructions. The aviation authority is holding regular meetings to judge how ready they are and to fix any remaining problems.
Preparations for the ICAO review started in November last year. The government formed three high-level committees to manage compliance across nine critical aviation security areas. These groups run regular safety reviews, check for missing protocols, and recommend fixes to meet strict global standards.
Monthly progress reviews are currently running under the leadership of the CAAB Member (Security). Meanwhile, the CAAB Chairman hosts coordination meetings every two months with all involved security agencies. Officials stated that 75 to 80 per cent of the general setup is already complete, with the remaining tasks expected to finish by August 15.
To make airport security infrastructure stronger, experts have successfully finished factory tests on advanced X-ray machines, modern scanners, and other detection equipment. This new machinery is scheduled to arrive in August and will be installed in phases by September 1.
CAAB will also run an internal mock audit during the first week of October. This trial will help find and fix any leftover issues before the official ICAO team arrives. Data from CAAB shows that Bangladesh scored 68.55 per cent during the 2018 ICAO security check, which was higher than the global passing mark of 65 per cent at that time. The authority wants to pass a score of 75 per cent during the upcoming evaluation.
During the most recent DFT check, Bangladesh hit 100 percent compliance for cargo security and achieved 93 to 94 percent compliance for passenger safety. CAAB officials are very confident that these thorough preparations, alongside the new security technology and high-level monitoring, will help Bangladesh get great results in both audits. They believe these steps will protect the international reputation of the country's airports and strengthen its position in the global aviation safety network.
.jpg "PM may reshuffle ministers, appoint advisers: Zahed")
