Delegates at a new aviation security conference taking place in Dubai next month will hear how the security situation at Baghdad International Airport, one of the world’s most dangerous aviation environments, has…
Delegates at a new aviation security conference taking place in Dubai next month will hear how the security situation at Baghdad International Airport, one of the world’s most dangerous aviation environments, has been dramatically improved in just three years.
Dale R. Davis, Managing Director of Global Strategies Group (Middle East) FZE, will describe the measures introduced by his company since it took over security services and operations for the Airport in 2004. Today 540 flights take off each month, compared with virtually zero three years ago, and over 40,000 vehicles enter the airport perimeter.
Mr Davis is speaking at the Aviation Security Middle East conference, organised by Streamline Marketing Group, which takes place for the first time on May 30. The conference runs alongside the annual Airport Show running from May 28 – 30 in Airport Expo Dubai. Speakers will include aviation security chiefs, specialists and consultants from across Europe, India, Middle East and the US.
The presentation on Baghdad International Airport will outline how Global Strategies Group secured an airport heavily exposed to threat, to enable uninterrupted trade and travel, safeguard passengers, crew, staff and cargo and upgrade the security level, achieving International Civil Aviation Organisation standards. A key part of the company’s plan is the training and development of local Iraqi personnel and currently 450 Iraqis are working on the project.
“Global Strategies Group has an incredible story to tell about the on-going transformation of Baghdad International Airport and the progress made to build local capacity in the aviation security sector in one of the most challenging locations in the world,” said Davis. “Without a doubt, the story of our accomplishments, which have been achieved in cooperation and coordination with the Government of Iraq, will be extremely insightful and useful.”
Other speakers at the conference will include Malcolm Nance, Director of Special Readiness Services International (SRSI) a Washington DC-based counter-terrorism consultancy. He will highlight the vulnerabilities of airports, aircraft and passengers to a wide range of catastrophic terrorist tactics implemented before the aircraft leave the ground. The latest technologies for passenger screening, profiling and in-hold baggage screening will also be discussed by a panel of international aviation security experts.
Brigadier Pilot Ahmad Mohammed Bin Thani, Director General of Airport Security with Dubai Police, has welcomed the new Aviation Security Middle East conference.
“This is a good opportunity for aviation security officials throughout the region to get together to discuss the latest issues and find out about the newest technology applications for airport security,” he said. “The aviation industry across the Middle East is booming and here in Dubai we are seeing the rapid growth of Dubai International Airport and also the new airport development in Jebel Ali. It is vital that we have access to the best security systems on the market, whether it be screening and X-ray equipment, CCTV or other general security technology.”
Since its inception in 2001, the Airport Show has become established as a major forum for the selection and pre-qualification of suppliers for airport development projects not only in the Gulf area but also across the Middle East, Africa, the Indian Subcontinent and the CIS countries. This year more than 500 exhibitors and 5,000 industry visitors are expected to attend, a rise of 25 per cent compared with 2006.
Aviation security equipment suppliers taking part include American Science and Engineering, Inc. (AS&E), one of the world’s leading manufacturers of X-ray detection equipment. The company will be using the event to introduce its innovative Gemini parcel inspection system to the Middle East market, and will be giving live demonstrations of the equipment.
Other exhibitors from the security sector include Rapiscan Systems, which has installed over 60,000 products in more than 50 countries since 1993 from metal detectors to automated explosive detection systems and container inspection systems, and Gilardoni, a worldwide leader in biomedical instrumentation, non-destructive testing equipment and security equipment.
Held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Department of Civil Aviation, Chairman and CEO of Emirates Airline and Group and Chairman of Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, the Airport Show will also include major conferences on ground handling and air traffic control for the first time this year.
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