MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Latam airlines consider airport security costs and standards

Latinamerican countries must standardize security norms in airports but without this meaning an obstacle for staff and passengers, said IATA (International Air Transport Association) regional vice-president Patricio Sepulveda during the Latinamerican Civil Aviation Conference, CLAC, and currently held in Chile.

“A system which is standard, efficient and with government participation must be implemented”, said Sepulveda at the conference in Easter Island with representatives from 22 Latinamerica and Caribbean countries.

“Security is the responsibility of governments”, underlined Sepulveda who added they should pick the bill for the 4 billion US dollars which IATA associated airlines must invest every year in these measures world wide.

CLAC president Jose Huepe also revealed that so far Latinamerican airlines have managed to weather the global slowdown crisis, “the full impact has not reached us, hopefully it won’t but we will increase technical cooperation to address surprises”.

CLAC is planning to modify its statute so the organization can address and coordinate projects in areas such as operational security and airport regulations, which according to Huepe, governments are not intent in financing because they are considered non productive.

Huepe also anticipated CLAC would approve a strategic plan for a timetable of targets in different areas, although he did not reveal further details.

Regarding climate change the air industry, “which only represents 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions”, Huepe said that Brazil and Mexico would be presenting a paper with Latinamerican initiatives on the issue.

Participants in the conference include all Civil Aviation directors from the region, as well as commanders of the different air regions and Ramon Borges, Cardoso, general director of Brazil’s Air Space.

CLAC members are Argentina, Aruba, Bolivia, Brasil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, República Dominicana, Uruguay and Venezuela.