9th meeting of NATFC held
Staff Correspondent
The 9th meeting of National Air Transport Facilitation Committee (NATFC) was held at Bebichak Headquarters with Air Vice Marshal Md. Mostafa Mahmud Siddique, BSP, GUP, ndc, AFWC, ACSC, psc, Chairman of Bangladesh Civil Aviation Authority (CAAB) in the chair on monday.
The 9th meeting of National Air Transport Facilitation Committee (NATFC) was held at Bebichak Headquarters with Air Vice Marshal Md. Mostafa Mahmud Siddique, BSP, GUP, ndc, AFWC, ACSC, psc, Chairman of Bangladesh Civil Aviation Authority (CAAB) in the chair on monday.
Member Secretary of CAAB , Air Commodore Md. Asif Iqbal, BSP, BUP, ndc, AFWC, psc, GD(P), was present.
The meeting was also attended by senior representatives of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Religious Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Ministry of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment, Ministry of Posts, Telecommunication and Information Technology, Health Services Division, National Board of Revenue (Customs), Biman Bangladesh Airlines Ltd., Airlines Operating Committee, Bangladesh Police, Immigration and Border Protection.
According to Annex-9 of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), it is a mandatory international commitment for each member state to form an effective Air Transport Facilitation Committee at the national level and organize regular meetings. The main objective of this committee is to make the movement of passengers, baggage and cargo in international civil aviation easy, fast and orderly and to ensure coordinated activities among all the concerned agencies.
According to Annex-9 of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), it is a mandatory international commitment for each member state to form an effective Air Transport Facilitation Committee at the national level and organize regular meetings. The main objective of this committee is to make the movement of passengers, baggage and cargo in international civil aviation easy, fast and orderly and to ensure coordinated activities among all the concerned agencies.
Besides , regular meetings of the National Air Transport Facilitation Committee (NATFC) formed at national level are considered an important evaluation indicator in the ICAO USAP-CMA (Universal Security Audit Programme – Continuous Monitoring Approach) audit.
The importance and significance of NATFC was highlighted in the meeting and it was said that this committee plays an important role in creating an efficient and modern environment in the overall aviation management of the country by simplifying passenger services at airports, reducing unnecessary procedural complexity, improving information exchange processes and strengthening inter-agency coordination. At the same time, the development of facilitation activities directly has a positive impact on increasing the capacity of airport management, improving the quality of passenger services and time management.
In his speech, Chairman Bebichak mentioned that facilitation and aviation security are interrelated and complementary. If proper facilitation management is ensured, it is possible to implement security activities more effectively, which plays a helpful role in establishing an orderly, safe and passenger-friendly environment at airports. He further said that the institutional basis and scope of the committee have been further strengthened with the enactment of the Civil Aviation Act, 2017 and the Civil Aviation Authority Act, 2017.
The meeting discussed various facilitation challenges existing at airports, such as delays in passenger processing, lack of coordination and some procedural limitations. To address these challenges, emphasis was laid on ensuring technology-based solutions, integrated working methods and active participation of the concerned agencies.
The importance and significance of NATFC was highlighted in the meeting and it was said that this committee plays an important role in creating an efficient and modern environment in the overall aviation management of the country by simplifying passenger services at airports, reducing unnecessary procedural complexity, improving information exchange processes and strengthening inter-agency coordination. At the same time, the development of facilitation activities directly has a positive impact on increasing the capacity of airport management, improving the quality of passenger services and time management.
In his speech, Chairman Bebichak mentioned that facilitation and aviation security are interrelated and complementary. If proper facilitation management is ensured, it is possible to implement security activities more effectively, which plays a helpful role in establishing an orderly, safe and passenger-friendly environment at airports. He further said that the institutional basis and scope of the committee have been further strengthened with the enactment of the Civil Aviation Act, 2017 and the Civil Aviation Authority Act, 2017.
The meeting discussed various facilitation challenges existing at airports, such as delays in passenger processing, lack of coordination and some procedural limitations. To address these challenges, emphasis was laid on ensuring technology-based solutions, integrated working methods and active participation of the concerned agencies.
The meeting also highlighted the need for effective implementation of decisions, regular progress review and strengthening of progress verification activities, so that NATFC can play a more important role in enhancing the capacity of the country's aviation sector as an effective coordination platform.
Overall, this activity will contribute significantly to following international standards, improving passenger services, strengthening inter-ministerial coordination, the upcoming ICAO USAP-CMA, improving the aviation security environment and brightening the image of Bangladesh in the international arena.
