The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) will be conducting an audit of Fiji’s Aviation Security Oversight under the second cycle of its Universal Security Audit Programme (USAP) from the 19th – 26th January 2012.
This will be conducted by aviation security experts who were sought by the ICAO under the USAP to conduct the audit of Fiji.
As commercial and private aircraft operators now fly across national and transnational borders, this will require the harmonisation of aviation laws, standards and requirements for consistency globally while the same is managed locally at state levels.
With the collaboration of member states, ICAO plays an essential leadership role in the field of aviation security with the ultimate goal of enhancing civil aviation security worldwide. To this end, its efforts are focused primarily on developing and coordinating an effective global policy and legal framework in response to the evolving threat to civil aviation, conducting audits that identify aviation security short-comings and assisting States in implementing security Standards and resolving deficiencies.
The USAP audit reviews Fiji’s compliance against ICAO Annex 17 Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPS) and the security provisions of Annex 9 (Facilitation) using the ICAO Eight Critical Elements of an effective State oversight system which are summarized as follows:
1. Primary Aviation Legislation
2. Specific Operating Regulation
3. Civil Aviation System and safety oversight function.
4. Qualification and Training of Technical Staff
5. Procedures and Technical Guidance
6. Licensing and Certification Obligations
7. Surveillance Obligations
8. Resolution of Safety Concerns.
The ICAO USAP Audit team will brief all aviation stakeholders and border control authorities of their Audit Programme during their audit entry meeting at 9am on Thursday 19th January 2012.
The USAP programme will close with an audit exit meeting on 26th January 2012 where the audit team will discuss their observations, recommendations and findings.
The last audit on Fiji under the ICAO USAP was in 2007.
The team leaves Fiji on 28th January 2012.