Naia holds up to US scrutiny

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) may be one of the world’s worst airports, but passengers passing through the aging Manila facility need not fear for their safety, the government said on Friday.

In a statement, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) said Naia recently passed with flying colors a safety audit conducted by the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

“Despite a few specific instances where the TSA found need for improvement, the Philippines was found to be in general satisfactory condition by the TSA,” DOTC Secretary Manuel Roxas II said.

“The favorable result of TSA’s inspection shows that our initial efforts to make improvement in our airport security have been successful. We are further committed to sustaining these improvements to bring benefits to our local and international passengers and tourists.”

The TSA Annual Security Assessment (ASA) was conducted from Nov. 14 to 19. Roxas said the TSA determined that the country’s premiere airport complied with International Civil Aviation Organization’s safety standards for airports.

Since last year’s ASA, the DOTC has undertaken programs to ensure stricter compliance with identity checks, deploy more airport personnel and eliminate security risks along the airport perimeter.

Roxas said the TSA did identify areas that would need improvement, such as the installation of more closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras for better surveillance.

Roxas approved the MIAA purchase of additional CCTV cameras to be installed in critical areas, as well as the acquisition of more patrol vehicles.

The 2011 ASA inspection was conducted by a 5-man team led by Wayne Hall.

The TSA covered airport ID processing and access controls, security program, quality control, contingency and emergency plans, cargo security, perimeter and terminal access control systems, as well as passenger   and cabin baggage screening system.

Several foreign airlines also participated in the audit with the TSA: Delta Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Continental Airlines, and Fly Guam Airlines. Local flag carrier Philippine Airlines likewise lent a hand. These airlines all have flights to the United States.

US Federal legislation requires that the TSA conduct assessments on all airports that have a “last point of departure” to the United States.

The same legislation also mandates all US and foreign airlines that have routes to, from and over US territory to undergo air carrier assessments.