Sagar Biswas :
The United States will provide necessary cooperation to strengthen security measures in the airports of Bangladesh with a view to ensuring safe arrival and departure of local and international flights in the wake of global terror threats.
At the same time, the US authority has planned to give status of ‘category one airport’ to Hazrat Shahajalal International Airport [HSIA] in the forthcoming meeting of TICFA [Trade and Investment Co-operation Forum Agreement] to be held in Washington DC on November 23, officials said.
The US offer of cooperation to intensify airport security came at a crucial meeting between Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon and US Ambassador in Dhaka Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat at Secretariat in the city on Tuesday.
‘Category one’ means the air carriers from the assessed state may initiate or continue service to the US in a normal manner and take part in reciprocal code-share arrangements with U.S. carriers.
“The US is interested in providing security to the airports of Bangladesh. In this particular field [airport security], the US has already provided security to other countries also. The US will raise the issue to recognise HSIA [of Bangladesh] as category one airport in the second TICFA meeting on November 23,” Marcia Bernicat said.
The US envoy said, “We have also talked about the overall security measures in the backdrop of violent terrorism in different parts of the world. The US will resist terrorism in any part of the globe. We want everybody to live in peace…The US will also continue its support to Bangladesh in achieving economic prosperity and prosperous future in a static situation.”
Earlier on November 11, a team of British Aviation Intelligence expressed dissatisfaction about the security arrangements of HSIA after verifying different security set-up, including entrance, scanning machines, immigration system, capability of dog squad and security set-up at cargo village. Especially, the British team expressed deep concern over the incapability of scanning machine operators, and advised the Bangladesh Civil Aviation Authority to provide special training to them to resist terror threat.
Official sources said, the British team visited Bangladesh as a part of verifying security arrangement in the South East Asian region following the ‘accident’ of a Russian plane in Egypt on October 31.
Their main concern is about the four direct flights which regularly fly between Dhaka and London. Apart from it, some private airlines also operate flights to London from Dhaka.
In this backdrop, Rashed Khan Menon said on Tuesday that the Bangladesh government proposed to the US authorities to recognise HSIA as category one airport.
“Bangladesh and the US will work together to strengthen security arrangements. The issue [category one airport recognition] will be discussed in the next TICFA meeting. At present, we are working hard to fulfill the conditions, including appointment of adequate manpower and formation of necessary law,” the Minister said after meeting with the US ambassador.
Responding to a question, Menon said, “All the country’s airports have been brought under high-security arrangements. We have modified the security arrangements for the safety of foreign nationals and local people.”
“We have already informed the US government that the issuing of travel alert is damaging image of Bangladesh in the outer world. The US did not issue red alert during political violence in 2014. But they [US] are now issuing red alert almost often,” the Minister said when he was asked about the US travel alert.
Bangladesh has three international airports in Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet. Besides, it has six domestic airports and six STOL [Short Take-off and Landing] ports.
There are also several unused airstrips, some built during World War II, including Sandwip Airport, Chokoria Airport, Feni Airport, Rajendrapur Airport, Maulvi Bazar Airport, Rasulpur Airport, Sirajganj Airport, Bajitpur Airport and Patuakhali Airport, according to officials.
