UAE hosts 36th IATA/Control Authorities Working Group conference focusing on security issues

The 36th Conference of the combined International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Control Authorities Working Group (CAWG) was held in Dubai October 12 and 13, 2004, under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Department of Civil Aviation and Chairman of the Emirates Group.

The two-day meeting, the first of its kind to be held in the Middle East was inaugurated by Brigadier Saeed bin Belailah, Director of Dubai Naturalization and Residency Department (DNRD). More than 60 delegates, representing both government and airlines of the participating countries came together to discuss the security issues and the effect of state legislations on airline passengers.

"Security has become a key issue of concern in recent years. This major conference paved way for in-depth analysis of national and international security issues, laying strong emphasis on detecting travelers without proper documents and on raising customer service standards. The meeting was touched upon all major issues of concern to the airline industry. There were calls for better co-operation between the airline industry and the government authorities to identify ways of tightening border control and regulatory laws," said Brigadier bin Belailah.

The CAWG was jointly hosted by Emirates and the DNRD, and attended by senior officials from leading airlines companies from Northern America, Africa and Europe. The conference was chaired by Jeff Durante, Director, Security and Facilitation, IATA and co-chaired by Lt. Col. Khalid Lootah, IT Director, DNRD. The UAE delegation participants were Col. Abdulla Al Majed, Lt. Col. Jasim Al Aref, Lt. Col. Khalid Lootah and First Lt. Khalid Ismael.

Lt. Col. Lootah familiarized the gathering with the foolproof security measures undertaken by authorities at Dubai Airport, the simplified visa arrangements and the card-operated passport electronic control system, eGate, developed by DNRD. The participants expressed their appreciation about the eGate system, especially its advanced security screening procedures, which uses fingerprint scanning for identification and the implementation of smooth solutions for passenger movement at the airport without compromising on security and safety measures.

"The global air transport industry has suffered losses to the tune of US$ 30 billion over the past few years but is now on its way to recovery. Even as the airline industry and the governments have been finding ways to overcome the crisis, Dubai has been leading the way by recording increased inflow of visitors and residents," said Brigadier bin Belailah. "The challenge is to come up with solutions to live up to the expectations of the world."

In addition to fostering greater inter-governmental and airline relationships, Dr. Abdulla Al Hashimi, Senior Vice President Emirates' Group Security stated: "The prevailing security atmosphere that the world is facing currently necessitates more than ever the need for a better approach to information flow between airlines and state authorities to ensure minimal impact on passenger facilitation. It is imperative that both stakeholders - airlines and the state authorities - agree a framework under which information can be streamlined. Emirates Group Security is proud to work with DNRD to facilitate this meeting here in Dubai."

According to projections, passenger traffic through Dubai International Airport is expected to rise from 16 million in 2003 to 40 million by 2010 and 70 million by 2016. This, coupled with the ongoing expansion of Dubai International Airport, which includes a new Terminal 3 exclusively for Emirates, expansion of the existing Terminal 2, and a second and third concourse. will ensure a traffic inflow similar to that of the London Heathrow.

DNRD's fully automated passport control system allows card-operated access to registered passengers. By replacing manual checks by fingerprint scan, to identify and clear registered passengers with biometric technology, e-Gate offers smooth functioning and greater security. The system automatically processes 'known' passengers, thereby freeing up resources to concentrate on other 'unknown' passengers.

"The DNRD is the first immigration body in the Middle East to be a member of IATA, thanks to our e-Gate project, which is known for its enhanced customer satisfaction, more efficient use of resources and smaller manpower. Dubai International Airport is one of only three airports in the world, and the first in the Middle East, to use the e-Gate system," said Brig. bin Belailah.

Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD) is an advisory member of Simplifying Passenger Travel (SPT) group, which is an IATA initiative aimed at bringing together key parties involved in the airline passenger sector. The members of the group include frequent airline passengers, leading airline companies, airports, immigration authorities and technology suppliers.

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