Efforts on to get UK cargo ban lifted

Bangladesh has launched hectic efforts at home and abroad for the withdrawal of UK's ban on all direct cargo flights from Dhaka to London.

Law Minister Anisul Haq, who is now visiting the UK, on Tuesday met Lord Ahmad, parliamentary under secretary of state for transport and home office of the UK.

The minister apprised Lord Ahmed of the government's steps in improving security and management at Shahjalal International Airport, officials at Bangladesh High Commission in London said.

Earlier on March 8, British Prime Minister David Cameron in a letter to his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina called for a visible improvement of airport security by March 31 to avoid further measures like banning of direct Biman passenger flights from Dhaka to London.

Hasina has already written back to Cameron, requesting him to review the decision. More minister-level communications between the two countries are expected, said a foreign ministry source.

Talking to The Daily Star, a diplomat at the Bangladesh mission in London yesterday said the law minister briefed Lord Ahmad on the safety and security measures taken so far at the airport.

He said officials of both Bangladesh and the UK prepared a list of short, medium and long term measures and identified the measures needed to be taken on a priority basis to provide security pursuant to an international standard at the airport.

Diplomatic sources said the authorities have identified improvement of security at advisory, supervisory and operational levels.

The Bangladesh government is expected to give the responsibility of airport security to one of the four British companies, recommended by British High Commissioner Alison Blake, by March 20. Otherwise, direct Biman passenger flights on the Dhaka-London route might be barred, added the sources.

Meanwhile, as part of the move to pick a foreign company for overall security management of Shahjalal International Airport, the Bangladesh authorities yesterday started negotiations with Restrata, one of the four firms.

On Tuesday, representatives of the foreign firm, Redline Assured Security, sat with top officials of Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (Caab) and discussed the area of work, charges and duration of service, said a top official at the civil aviation ministry.

“We are expecting to choose one firm by Saturday for the security management of the airport,” Civil Aviation Minister Rashed Khan Menon told reporters yesterday.

The British envoy on Sunday provided the list of the four security firms during a meeting with top government officials. The two other companies are G4S and Westminster Security Services.