SCASPA participates in ICAO High-level Conference on Aviation Security

Bird Rock, St. Kitts – September 21, 2012 (SCASPA): Chief Executive Officer of the St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority (SCASPA), Mr. Jonathan Bass, recently attended the 2012 International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) High-level Conference on Aviation Security in Montreal, Canada. SCASPA was among the 700 participants representing 132 Member States, and 23 intergovernmental and industry international and regional organizations in the three-day forum. Other representatives of St. Kitts included Special Advisor to the Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Mr. Cedric Liburd and Director of Maritime Affairs in the Ministry of Tourism and International Transport, Mr. McLean Hobson.

The Conference, the first ICAO High-level Conference on Aviation Security since 2002, highlighted the unaddressed threats to civil aviation and the importance of cooperation and coordination between ICAO, its Members States and all other stakeholders to achieve a sustainable level of aviation security. Comprehensive recommendations and solutions were also discussed to effectively address global aviation security issues for the next five years.

“The conference, lead by subject matter and industry experts, was a tremendous experience for the representatives of St. Kitts. We gained deeper insight on the threats in aviation security and participated in dialogues that offered solutions to eliminate those threats. Participants were encouraged to adopt a risk-based approach to aviation security, develop capacity-building activities, standardize formats for travel documents and enhance travel document security by participating in the electronic passport validation service. It was a very informative and fruitful forum and it is my realization that air safety and security begin on the ground at the customer check-in and access points,” said Chief Executive Officer of SCASPA, Mr. Jonathan Bass.

SCASPA along with the Ministry intend to continue to review and improve its present Aviation Security standards and procedures in accordance with ICAO’s recommendations and standards to ensure maximum efficiency in Aviation Security in St. Kitts.