Airport vehicle tracking plan aims to improve aviation safety, not address security lapse: Caab

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (Caab) has protested recent media reports that portrayed vehicle movement in the restricted airside area of Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport as a security risk, saying the issue concerns operational safety, not security.

In a statement issued today (29 October), the aviation regulator said the introduction of vehicle tracking system is an initiative to strengthen operational safety, not a response to a security lapse.

It also said the airport’s airside is a restricted and controlled area where vehicles cannot enter freely or move at will.

Authorised vehicles operate under designated safety rules, and vehicles entering controlled runway and taxiway areas must communicate with the air traffic control tower and obtain the necessary permission, it added.

Caab said an audit by the International Civil Aviation Organization is currently underway.

It warned that portraying a technical initiative to improve aviation safety as a security crisis could create a misleading impression of Bangladesh’s civil aviation sector internationally.

The aviation regulator said it welcomed constructive criticism and objective reporting, but urged the media to verify technical facts and distinguish between aviation safety and security when reporting on sensitive infrastructure such as international airports.