Dhaka airport gets EU’s RA3 certificate after upgrading security; Australia relaxes cargo ban

The Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport has achieved the EU’s RA3 certificate following an upgraded security arrangement, prompting Australia to relax its ban on direct cargo flights from Dhaka.

The airport on May 5 became an EU Aviation security validated Regulated Agent (RA3), Civil Aviation Minister Rashed Khan Menon told the press at the Secretariat on Monday.

This certification, mandatory to send direct cargo flights to European countries, will now allow Bangladesh to send such flights to the UK and Australia via a third country, he said.

In Australia’s case, cargo rescreening will be done in a third country, but such checks would not be necessary for UK-bound flights, Menon added.

He said a separate secured zone had been readied at the airport and three airlines – Bangladesh Biman, Etihad Airways and Lufthansa – had been given the permission for cargo handling and operate flights to the UK from there.

He said the Australian government in a letter to its High Commission in Dhaka on May 5 said the ban, imposed on Bangladesh in December last year, had been relaxed following the airport’s security upgrade.

“But cargo planes will have to go through rescreening in the station on their flight path. That station can be Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Singapore or Hong Kong or some other country.

“We think this move is very important because they said it has been made following the UK’s approach,” Menon said, but did not give details.

He, however, said cargo flights would be able to go to the UK directly once Bangladesh achieves the ACC3 designation, which stands for ‘Air Cargo or Mail Carrier operating into the (European) Union from a Third Country Airport'.

He hoped that will be achieved during a Bangladeshi delegation’s visit at the Heathrow Airport in London by June.

He said a visiting inspector will submit the report related the ACC3 validation to the UK’s department of transport. If satisfied, the department then will give the ACC3 certificate.

Since Britain banned direct cargo flights from Dhaka on Mar 8, goods heading for that the UK were sent via either Singapore or Hong Kong or Thailand or Dubai, stopovers that increased costs and delivery time.

Facing losses, the government on Mar 21 struck a Tk 732-million deal with British firm Redline Aviation Security Ltd to crank up safety arrangements at Shahjalal International Airport.

After starting its work on Mar 24, Redline had deputed 31 trainers, managers and screeners at the airport to beef up the safety measures.

It has trained 100 officers and staff of the Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh, so far and handed over the responsibility of the London-bound flights to them on Apr 24.

The civil aviation minister on Monday said they were also preparing a work-plan to tackle the airport’s problems identified by Redline.

He said Chittagong’s Shah Amanat International Airport and Sylhet’s Osmani International Airport would also get similar security upgrades once the exercise ends in Dhaka.

Menon said their main problem was procurement of equipment. He said bidders submitted tenders on May 5 and hoped to finalise them soon.

Asked whether the government faced any international pressure about upgrading the airport security arrangements, the minister said, “Aviation security is now a serious question. Like the attack in Brussels (airport) that had grounded all flights.”

“Other airports, too, face similar threats. The current international situation beset by terrorism, not political pressure, is the reason behind doing this (upgrading airport security).”