British team inspects Islamabad International airport: Here s what they say about security measures

ISLAMABAD – The British Department for Transport (DFT) security team inspected various sections of the Islamabad International Airport on Friday.

The team led by Peter Robinson, the head of Aviation Security Support at the Aviation Security International Operations, observed that security measures were in place at the airport.

A spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said the purpose of the visit was to promote cooperation in areas of infrastructure strengthening and capacity building of the CAA Aviation Security Team.

During the inspection, Peter Robinson lauded the international standards of security for passengers at the Islamabad International Airport and also praised the high level of additional security measures in place at the airport in the context of the British Department of Transport’s requirements.

The CAA spokesperson said the visit concluded with a note and briefing on aviation security issues by CAA director of security. It was the second phase of the Task Resource Analysis (TRA) at the airport.

The visit was apparently successful as regulatory bodies from both sides reiterated the continuation of international cooperation and efforts to cement ties and strengthen aviation security systems.

To demonstrate the effectiveness of preventive measures, a mock exercise was also held at the airport to check the resources required in the event of an aircraft accident.

Incident response steps and resources required for operations were evaluated by conducting mock comprehensive exercises at the airport, the spokesperson said as quoted by Dawn News. 

The mock exercise included small-scale live fire exercises, live firefighting, rescue operations, ladder exercises and backup supply procedures.

It bears mentioning that the federal government has announced to outsource the Islamabad International Airport for 15 years to improve the qauality of services offered to the passengers.

The government has been advocating the outsourcing of three major airports across the country at a time when a severe economic crisis is being faced by the nation.

The finance minister has already convened multiple meetings of the committee formed to engage foreign operators for outsourcing and soon Karachi and Lahore international airports would also be outsourced if the plans are executed.  

The outsourcing of three airports has been kicked off within the scope of a public-private partnership to engage private investors/airport operators through a competitive and transparent process.