By Zena Henry
LOCAL aviation officials are excited about what they say is a 300 percent improvement in the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority’s (GCAA) operational capacity with the addition of three Aviation Security Inspectors. This post within the GCAA’s Aviation and Security and Facilitation Department, is said to be very important when considering the Authority’s responsibility to quality control.

Director-General of the GCAA, Captain Egbert Fields, was proud to introduce the three new team members after stressing the importance of their duties. He told the Guyana Chronicle that the inspectors will “help to build a robust oversight security system,” before describing this major upgrade as a “300 percent improvement in the operational capacity of the organisation.”

Manager of Aviation Security, Abraham Doris, told the newspaper that for the past 10 years, there had been one person at the GCAA providing oversight functions to a fairly large industry. Inspectors ensure that all stakeholders; airlines; airports, cargo, international and domestic flights, airport security services among others, conform to the measures and policies that guide the sector.

With just one inspector at the time, Doris said that the department was strained and overwhelmed, while the security oversight system was at a great disadvantage. He said that the ability for oversight was greatly diminished, explaining for example, that scheduled audits were not being met. He said that if a target audit was set for the year, these were not being completed. Doris pointed out therefore that “the lack of ability to police the aviation system means that stakeholders are more lax in their implementation of security control.”

As a member of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and having signed on to many international charters and conventions, some of which speak to terrorism and other aviation crimes, the GCAA is directly responsible for protecting flight passengers and assets through quality control.
The Aviation and Security and Facilitation Department in the quality-control process conducts audits, inspections and security assessments. Doris said the department is required to conduct physical checks of security systems of all stakeholders.

He noted too that the department may also bear some responsibility in investigating accidents or incidents occurring in the industry. This, Doris explained, would be to ascertain whether a break in aviation policies occurred or whether a weakness in the system existed. Doris highlighted that his department is as instrumental in the area of security policy development, since it also helps to formulate aviation regulations and policies.

The new Aviation Security Inspectors were in training for one year. They were involved in five in-house courses, aviation safety and online courses. They also spent two weeks doing classroom training in Trinidad and Tobago’s National Inspectors Course. The inspectors were also attached to the Piarco International Airport in that twin-island nation for first-hand experience. Doris said this solidified the training and allowed the new inspectors their current designation.

One of the inspectors, Tishana Narine, was also afforded the opportunity to attend an ICAO-led course in Turkey, “Introduction to aviation security management.” She expressed delight at being able to represent Guyana at the course and to serve in the areas learnt. Cameba Bayley and Simeon Taylor are the other two successful inspectors.

Guyana’s operational capacity stood at 57.14 percent, but an ICAO assessment completed just over a month ago, showed that capacity has risen to 74.36percent within a matter of months. Guyana’s current ICAO overall rating is now 64.66 percent, a major jump from the 44.24 percentage score held since 2007. The director-general is adamant about the Authority’s capacity to police the entire industry. Oil discovery, increased gold production, investment opportunities and improvement to the country’s largest airport are some factors growing aviation activity.