GCC airports investing in safety technology

The six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states are investing millions of dollars in airports technology and system upgrades to ensure seamless and safer passenger and freight movement.

With Middle East airports expected to be handling nearly 400 million passengers per year by 2020, constant development and upgrades to the security system are needed to deliver a better travellers’ experience, says the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Mohammed Ahli, director general, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), said: "Safety of passengers/ freight and infrastructure security is not, and should not be, of a transit nature, but a constantly evolving requirement. The authorities face the challenges of adopting effective safety measures whilst limiting the inconvenience to the passengers. An airport is always judged by its security and service standards. It’s crucial to adopt innovative technology, improve security and streamline efficiencies to offer a seamless passenger travel experience.”

Major General Ahmad Mohammad Bin Thani, director of general department for airport security at Dubai Police, said: “The huge investment in security at airports runs parallel with their massive expansions. It is a 24/7 challenge to ensure extensive and effective security. As Dubai Airport grows, we also grow in terms of safety and security facilities, benefitting from the latest technology and best practices from across the world. We are also developing the professional capabilities of our human resources through training. The region could become a global model for airports security through a perfect mix of technology and strategies.”

He said the safety and security infrastructure at the Dubai International utilises about 7000 latest cameras across various facilities at the world’s third biggest airport for international passengers.

According to Hussein Dabbas, regional vice president, International Air Transport Association (IATA) said pragmatic approach is the key to successful aviation security.
“We need to balance the need to reduce risk with the need to preserve the speed and efficiency with which aviation transports 3 billion passengers and 50 million tonnes of cargo worldwide each year,” he said, explaining that these numbers are set to grow – particularly in the Asia-Pacific, Middle East and other developing markets. “So a one-size-fits-all approach to airport security isn’t going to work. The industry is working with governments to implement solutions. IATA’s Checkpoint of the Future programme is designed to strengthen security, increase efficiency, and improve the passenger experience. It will do this through a combination of new technology and by focusing on deploying resources where they will have the biggest impact in reducing risk.”

The Airport Show, which will be held in Dubai from May 6-8, will bring in world-leading companies to showcase the latest safety & security solutions and products, and will also introduce the Airport Passenger Experience zone, which will offer visitors a sneak peak of the future technologies that will dominate the airports of tomorrow.

Daniyal Qureshi, event director of the Airport Show, said: “Considering the expected growth of the regional aviation industry and the security challenges posed by the significant increase in passengers, airports in the Middle East must ensure they are constantly aware of the latest threats and ways to eliminate these. Benchmarking against the most advanced global airport security programmes is essential and the Airport Show and Global Airport Leaders’ Forum will give regional airport authorities an opportunity to achieve this.”