The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

AFTER a weekend in which protest efforts by members of the Bahamas Air Traffic Controllers Union forced several flight delays and at least two cancellations, the group has come to an agreement with aviation officials that would maintain current security measures at the Lynden Pindling International Airport.

The current measures will remain in place until a Security Risk Assessment is completed and reviewed.

The announcement came by way of a joint statement released by the union, the Department of Civil Aviation and the Airport Authority.

The statement read: “The public is informed that the Ministry of Transport & Aviation, including the Department of Civil Aviation and the Airport Authority, met this morning with the Bahamas Air Traffic Controllers Union, and it was agreed that the members of the Bahamas Air Traffic Controllers Union are committed to preserving the integrity of the airport security function.

“It was also agreed at that meeting that the execution of that function is a matter of concern. Pursuant to that concern, it has been agreed by both the ministry and its agencies, and the Bahamas Air Traffic Controllers Union, that all parties will await the results of the Security Risk Assessment being undertaken on LPIA, with a view to determining whether the current measures may be revised without compromising airport security.

“It was therefore agreed that the current security measures will be maintained, until the Security Risk Assessment is completed and reviewed,” the statement concluded.

When contacted on Monday for clarification on the union’s decision to soften its stance, BATCU President Hinsey McKenzie deferred all comments, opting for the joint statement to stand as the union’s official stance on the matter.

BATCU last week took issue with a new security measure that stipulated that its members would have to adhere to the new protocol that mandates controllers undergo extensive personal searches at security checkpoints.

The government has maintained, through a statement released by Minister of Transport and Aviation Glenys Hanna Martin, that it would not compromise on the security at LPIA.

The department also indicated that the screening of air traffic controllers is a “direct mandate” by the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO), which has advised the government of its “imminent intent to post globally” that this specific deficiency made LPIA a “vulnerable aerodrome” as it relates to security.

According to Mrs Hanna Martin, government officials were told that the issue “would seriously and negatively impact the economy and reputation of the Bahamas” if not corrected.

Before the policy, controllers were only required to show their work identification card.

Mr McKenzie told The Tribune on Sunday, that events on Saturday were the result of a lack of communication with the Civil Aviation Department (CAD), the Airport Authority and the union over the new policy, which he said the relevant parties previously agreed to review and discuss for 120 days after its implementation.