‘Advance passenger info’ to bolster air travel security

To bolster security for air travel, Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) is going to set up Advance Passenger Information (API) system, which can catch unauthorised travel and use of fraudulent documents.

Once the API system is implemented, it will be easier to fight crimes like terrorism, money laundering, and drug smuggling. At the same time, immigration and customs clearance procedures for legitimate travellers will be faster and easier, said CAAB officials.

To set up the system, CAAB signed a memorandum of understanding with the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday at its headquarters in the capital's Kurmitola.

API will be set up under CAAB, while Emirates Technologies Solutions -- a company wholly owned by the UAE government and supported by multinational company SITA -- will be responsible for installation, operation and maintenance.

Through the system, the identity information of passengers and crew members arriving in Bangladesh will be sent electronically in advance and in real-time to immigration authorities.

The system is capable of "risk analysis" based on passenger data and national and international watchlists. The scope of this risk analysis is expansive. Even possible differences in spelling of names and other information are examined.

As a result, immigration authorities will have time to prepare in advance against the arrival of unwanted or dangerous passengers. They will even be able to cancel the journey of a passenger at the time of boarding at a foreign airport, said CAAB officials.

The main user of the system will be the immigration and customs authority of Bangladesh. Moreover, national intelligence and law enforcement agencies will also be able to use the system's data.

CAAB Chairman Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman signed the agreement on behalf of the Bangladesh government, and BS Nath, executive director of Emirates Technologies Solutions, signed on behalf of the UAE government.