German expert audits security at Dhaka airport
An expert of Lufthansa yesterday launched an audit of the security measures at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, around three days after the German national carrier stopped carrying goods from Bangladesh on security grounds.
David Mann, a regional security expert of Lufthansa, flew in from Singapore on Tuesday and held meetings with high-ups of Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (Caab), and users of the airport's cargo village, said sources.
“It is difficult to say after only one meeting whether the expert was satisfied with the current security measures or not. He is likely to hold further meetings,” said an exporter who was present at one of the meetings.
However, Biman Managing Director AM Mosaddique Ahmed said Mann was satisfied with the current security system at the airport.
“The Lufthansa expert expressed satisfaction with the current security measures at the airport. I don't know whether he will again sit with us or not,” he told The Daily Star over the phone.
Sources said the German expert would hold further meetings with Caab high-ups and other officials concerned.
Mann's visit comes after Germany on Sunday imposed a ban on direct cargo flights from Bangladesh to any of its airport due to security reasons.
Lufthansa operates only one direct cargo flight from Bangladesh a week. No other airlines have direct flights to Germany from Bangladesh.
Exporters fear that the ban would have serious consequences as Bangladesh exports goods worth nearly $5 billion to Germany a year with 95 percent of those being garment items.
They said Lufthansa carries around 80 tonnes of goods in its weekly direct cargo flight from Bangladesh to Germany, the second largest export destination for Bangladesh.
According to a Biman source, the German expert would conduct the audit or validation in line with the regulations of the European Union.
The EU standard validation is known as ACC3 regulations. Under the ACC3, introduced in February 2012, all air carriers carrying cargo or mail from non-EU countries to the EU must be registered as an “Air Cargo or Mail Carrier” operating into the EU from a Third Country Airport (ACC3) by an EU-member state under a valid security programme.
ACC3s must ensure that all cargoes and mails carried to the EU are physically screened or have come from a secured supply chain.
The latest cargo ban comes barely three months after the UK slapped a similar ban on direct cargo flights from Bangladesh on security grounds. Earlier in December last year, Australia had imposed the same restriction.
In a notice on Sunday, the Federal Aviation Authority of Germany said that “because of information provided by our law enforcement authority and intelligence services” all cargoes and mail consignments originating from Bangladesh “pose a risk to aviation security”.
This means all cargo flights bound for Germany from Bangladesh must be re-screened at a third-country airport.
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