New screening equipment at the Douglas-Charles airport means less manual checks for security personnel, less time at the check point for passengers and ultimately more efficient security at the airport.
On Monday morning, officials of the Dominica Air And Sea Ports Authority officially commissioned new security x-ray equipment at the island’s main airport.
Tropical Storm Erika wreaked $40-million worth of havoc on the airport in 2015. Chief Executive Officer of DASPA, Benoit Bardouille commended security personnel who for over one year were able to maintain efficient security checks manually.
“We are pleased to report that during the period no incident was reported with illegal or prohibited items leaving Dominica through the airport; a number of seizures, however, were made during that period which shows that the training of our security officers paid dividends during that difficult period,” he said.
The need to comply with international standards required an urgent replacement of the security equipment. Government, through the CARICOM Development Fund (CDF), was able to secure over $1.4-million to replace this equipment which began operations in October 2016.
Lennox Forte, Director of the Regional Development Division of the CARICOM Development Fund said, “This project is one further testimony of CARICOM at work, making the difference and positively impacting on the lives of its citizens.”
Chairman of DASPA, Phoenix Belfield officially commissioned the equipment.
“This timely assistance from the CDF could have come at a more critical juncture when the world is experiencing a seismic shift towards enhancement of airport and aviation security. For small economies such as ours, strategic partnerships and assistance like this help us forge ahead with a vision to build back better,” he said.
Talk about two words in the English Language that sends me back to my shrink for more medication. Douglas and Charles. This is not news by the way. Ever pot hole that’s finally paved and every bridge that’s constructed is “Fake News” at home. We should be ashamed to post this routine piece of equipment as news, however when you need more and more trinkets to keep the dummies in line with the regime, it is imperative to devise new and ever more simplistic schemes to keep them fooled and compliant.
Stupes !
Stupes is right with their TWO scanners. That pig pen one a hole needs help/repairs
i see third world countries, as plucked chickens displaying hunger and accepting everything that is put on them, we do not even have an international airport in Dominica, with the smallest population in the world for any independent nation, because the us say jump, we all agreed, and we are all just jumping.
I want to ask, “who is funding the cost of these xray machines”? are we seeing signs of threats on our local airlines? so much as to have to remove our peoples clothes on them: Gosh man where are our discretion, we are ready to kill our own people because uncle Sam say so.
Time to grow up and be independent.
you want an international airport but don’t have the infrastructure to support it huh!
how will Dominica maintain an international airport without the influx of visitor or the hotels to support that influx or the safety for visitors and investors, training for Dominicans to work in the airport, maintain the airport and develop it further… all that and more takes forward thinking. Skeritt s actually doing these things gradually building the foundation to support these larger initiatives.
I tend to agree with you, because he has put on a coffee plant in Portsmouth with no coffee, an abattoir, with no animals, 60 million dollars on geothermal with no power, putting flush toilets in every house, where the indigent will be forced to pay water bill, most certainly is a very good preparation in building the nations economy to sustain your international airport..
Waterproof?
“Never see, come see come crazy.” Cut de ribbon each time a plane land.
They need those in Canefield also..ASAP! I just left home this Sunday, and they have to call you in the back one by one to hand search your checked luggage..in this day and age we need to do better than that.
There should be ribbon cutting when LIAT arrives on time with everyones luggage.
OMG . what about that is news. Bardouille looking for publicity. that is a basic equipment at an airport. why the need for the ribbon cutting ceremony.
. Soon we going to see one for a conveyor belt. hehehehehehehe. And one for a tractor to carry bags. hehehehehehehe. and one when the WIFI start working again . hehehehehe.
Bush Lawyer ou toe sort…. the ceremony is about the donor agency and not the equipment… sackway sort!!!!! You just showing off your STUPIDITY!!!!!!
Even worse yet. Either way, it is not news. It’s expected that every airport these days have a few of these on hand.
Ohh so this is the new airport?!
Ohh so this is the new airport??