ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East joins forces with ICAO to enhance aviation security in Bhutan

2024-06-25

At ICAO’s invitation, ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East (ACI APAC & MID) participated in an ICAO security assistance mission in Bhutan from 17 to 21 June 2024. Hosted by the Bhutan Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA), the assistance mission was part of a broader capacity-building initiative led by ICAO Asia & Pacific Regional Office to help States in Asia-Pacific improve security standards from national perspectives.

The mission team in Bhutan were comprised of two team members: Mr. Remington Low from ICAO APAC and Mr. Gary Leung from ACI APAC & MID.

The mission began with a meeting with Mr. Kinley Wangchuk, Director of BCAA, where the mission team members explained the objectives of the visit and provided an overview of the planned activities.

Meeting with Mr. Kinley Wangchuk, Director of BCAA (third from the left)

Over the week, the mission team focused on addressing the findings from a recent ICAO security audit. Tthe team had the opportunities to meet with the Mr. Karma Wang, Director General of Paro International Airport and the airport security team to better understand their challenges in daily operations.

Various recommendations for improvement were offered by the mission team, and a number of ACI’s tools and materials on security were shared and discussed during the onsite engagement. A detailed written report on the recommendations and follow-up actions that came out from this mission will be provided to BCAA at a later stage.

Meeting with Mr. Karma Wangchuk, Director General of Paro International Airport (middle)

Capacity building in aviation security is of critical importance to the aviation industry, especially in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East region. ACI APAC & MID appreciated the invitation by ICAO and will continue to work with different regional stakeholders to offer technical assistance to airports and other relevant stakeholders.