By: Yusuf M Hasan
HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) – The two main airports in the country have their security manned to internationally acceptable standards.
This was revealed during a function hosted in Hargeisa by the department of Airport Security of the Somaliland ministry of Aviation and Air transport in which achievements attained Security wise in the past three years were displayed via a short documentary.
According to the Director of Airport Security Mustafa Abdi Hussein “Mustafa Abdi Deere” The government of Somaliland through the aviation ministry has managed to eliminate all security bottlenecks within the short span of three years that the administration of president Ahmed Mahmud Silanyo has been in office.
“Not only have we installed modern tools of baggage and body search but ensured staff professionalism through in-service and external trainings” said the Director of Airport Security during the function that saw guests taken through the paces of the achievements garnered through a short documentary film.
Revealing that the security arrangements put in place at the countries two international airports of Berbera and Egal in Hargeisa Mustafa Abdi Deere said that this was done in line with recommendations made by the International Civil aviation Organization-ICAO that has closely partnered the aviation ministry for two decades.
Said he, “The security achievements have resulted in a number of Airlines making the Country a regular destination dude to the ease of services availed”
Of note as per the improvements of the past three years was the elimination of physical body and baggage search through the installation of relevant machinery that has not only relieved passengers and security guards the embarrassments but facilitated faster arrival and departures.
Other guest speakers who included parliamentarians, Traditional leaders and the chair of the Somaliland Youth Organization-SONYO all concurred on the tangible accomplishments garnered by the ministry of Aviation that have been realized through the efforts of the minister Mahmud Abdi Hashi who has tirelessly worked to see that the country’s airports are unto internationally acceptable standards.
According to Minister Hashi threats by the UAE to bar flights emanating from Somaliland within a period of six months if internationally acceptable security standards were not put in place came to naught after the country supported by friendly partners managed to succumb the challenge.
“Following the availability of Modern machinery of body and baggage search, a large cadre of Airport security staff were dispatched to Ethiopia for related training similar to the one accorded counterparts in the United Kingdom” Said minister Hashi
Though the aviation ministry has faced a few hiccups it has managed over the past three years to squarely put the two main airports of Egal and Berbera at par with international values both security and services wise.
During the same period that the aviation minister has been running the show not only has the two international airports seen a massive infusion of diversified improvements but has also seen to it that other national airports based in regional capitals are beneficiaries of the multi-million infrastructural enhancement grants from friendly countries notably Kuwait and the united Kingdom.
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