By Roy Mabasa
The British Government has officially removed from its website the previous warning issued by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding the poor aviation security conditions at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
(MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
This action was contained in the latest Travel Advisory Update issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) of the United Kingdom posted on August 9, 2019. It came shortly after the United States government ordered the rescission of its public notice citing “significant improvements” in the security operations at Manila’s premier airport.
“Summary – removal of information about the US Transport Security Administration public notice on poor aviation security at Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport,” the British FCO said in its updated travel advisory.
The US government has initially issued a public notice on December 27, 2018, after it identified a failure on the part of the NAIA operations to adequately implement and maintain international security standards and recommended practices established by the International Civil Aviation Organization.
The DHS cited the threat of terrorism poses to civil aviation as one reason why the United States actively supports the Philippines' efforts to improve airport security.
To help the Philippines comply with the international standards, the US State Department allocated US$5 million to help fund security improvements at the NAIA that included training and technology.
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