Conference on aviation security kicks off in Sharm El Sheikh

CAIRO - 22 August 2017: The regional ministerial conference on aviation security entitled ‘Global Aviation Security Plan (GASeP): The Roadmap to Foster Aviation Security in Africa and the Middle East,’ kicks off in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt on Tuesday, August 22 to address common aviation security challenges and to meet the goals established by GASeP.


ICAO Confernce in Sharm El Sheikh on August 8, 2017- Press Photo

The participants in the three-day conference are the Ministers of Transport/Aviation, and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCS) of the International Civil Aviation, Organization (ICAO) Member States, Air Force Instruction (AFI) and AFI-MID Regional Organizations, Regional Civil Aviation bodies and international organizations including ICAO and United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (UN‐CTED).

The conference compromises of two parts: a Senior Officials Meeting in which a draft regional roadmap will be developed while taking in account aviation security challenges and the targets of GASeP and the Ministerial Conference that will reaffirm the need to enhance implementation of international aviation security standard, according to ICAO website.

The President of ICAO has hailed the security procedures taken at Egyptian airports during a meeting he held with Prime Minister Sherif Ismail on Sunday.

Egypt has taken security measures in 2016 in all Egyptian airports as the National Falcon Company for Airport Security had signed an agreement with Great Britain’s Restrata in 2016 to enhance the security of Egyptian airports and to adopt a standard system and processes to apply international airport security procedures and practices.


ICAO Confernce in Sharm El Sheikh on August 8, 2017- Press Photo

The new system includes screening passengers and baggage and inspecting for any kind of explosives.

This was in the aftermath of the 2015 plane crash in Sharm El Sheikh that killed 224 people, mostly Russians. It is considered as a terror act as traces of foreign explosives were found on debris of the airbus and according to UK security service investigators, the explosive device had been inserted in the luggage before the plane took off.

Consequently, Britain and Russia ban flights to Egypt affecting tourism negatively.

In July 2017, Russian and British security delegations arrived in Egypt to assess security measures on trips and means of securing packages in the airport’s Cargo Village before resuming the flights between Egypt and Moscow. Several inspections were also performed in January 2017 and in December 2016.