Qatar leading the way in aviation security
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Doha
The State of Qatar ranked as one of the world’s top countries in civil aviation safety, according to official results released by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) yesterday.
Qatar scored 99.1% in applying the guidelines of annex 17 on Safeguarding International Civil Aviation against Acts of Unlawful Interference. Qatar also scored 96.76% in implementing safety management and a 100% in annex nine on facilitation.
The Civil Aviation Authority said that the scores reflect a qualitative leap when compared to Qatar’s results in 2012, when it received a score of 78.76%. The Civil Aviation Authority stressed that the achievement is an important step towards realising Qatar National Vision 2030.
The Chairman of Qatar Aviation Authority, Abdullah bin Nasser Turki al-Subaey, expressed his delight at the success and said that results of the ICAO’s safety audit proved that Hamad International Airport is one of the safest in the world. He added that the state’s support of the civil aviation industry was the main reason behind the achievement, along with the co-operation of all partners concerned with civil aviation security, the Ministry of Interior’s Airport Security Department and Airport Passports Department, and the management of Hamad International Airport.
Al-Subaey said that the latest achievement will be an advantage to the national carrier Qatar Airways given it takes-off from one of the world’s safest airports. This will also encourage other carriers to operate in the airport.
For his part, Director of Airport Security Department Brigadier Essa Arar al-Rumaihi said the achieved high scores were a result of the continuous efforts of all authorities who operate within a strong system.
He noted that the Airport Security Department has succeeded in raising the performance level of its employees as a result of employing the latest techniques and training in airport security, and stressed that this training along with the usage of latest technology led to the high scores and enhanced security in the airport.
The ICAO carries out safety audits that are mandatory to all member countries. The audits usually involve ensuring that airports are in line with the 19 annexes on security, referred to as the Chicago Convention. A team from the ICAO arrived in Qatar in February to carry out the audit.