Most Respondents Indicated Major Improvements Could Be Made In That Area

As the passenger and air cargo traffic in the Middle East rises by 17% and 30% respectively in 2010, previous incidents such as the Domodedovo airport suicide bombing in January 2011 in Russia and the air cargo bomb posted from Yemen in October 2010 demonstrate that the aviation industry is still a top target for terrorists.

According to research by the International Quality & Productivity Centre (IQPC), nearly 70% of respondents from a detailed survey in April 2011 considered that the biggest improvements need to be made on cargo security in the Middle East. The statistic underlines the gap that needs to be filled to increase cargo security standards to the same level as passenger security standards, especially since the Middle East is pushing to become a global hub for air cargo.

At a meeting this September in Dubai called the 3rd Annual Aviation Security 2011, aviation security professionals who have worked on bolstering their security facilities will discuss the improvement of cargo security. A key figure leading these discussions is Ahmed Al Haddabi, SVP Airport Operations at Abu Dhabi Airport Company (ADAC). Ahmed will share his experience on how ADAC upgraded their cargo security facilities to ensure that ADAC complied with the latest version of ICAO Annex 17.

Joining Ahmed Al Haddabi are Colonel Khamis Al Marar, Director of Department of Borders & Airports, Abu Dhabi Police, UAE; John Swanepoel, Regional Security Manager, FedEx, UAE; Captain Salah Al Ameri, VP Aviation Security, Etihad, UAE; Mike Fazackerley, Group Security Director, Manchester Airport, UK and Paul Linders, Director Security EMEA, CEVA Logistics, Netherlands

The meeting takes place September 18-21 in Dubai.

FMI: www.aviationsecurityme.com, www.iqpc.ae