Airport Certification Process for Statia almost completed
The Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport (ILT) in the Netherlands recently approved the Security Manual for the F.D. Roosevelt Airport in St. Eustatius. The Public Entity St. Eustatius is currently implementing the Manual. The draft Security Plan was also submitted to the ILT for approval. The Security Plan and the Security Manual are part of the compliancy certification to the Luchtvaartbeveiligings wet (Aviation Security Law) BES. Another very important compliancy certification is the Aerodrome manual (ADM) which is part of the Luchtvaartwet (Aviation Law) BES.
The ILT is the National Authority on Security Civil Aviation in the Netherlands, residing under the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (I&W). After several pre-audits of the documents by the ILT, the final drafts were prepared and send for approval. “Our team is proud and joyful as this is a very important step within the development of the Units Security and Airport at the FDR Airport of Statia,” according to Maurice van Velzen, Security Manager and Arnold Cuvalay, Acting Airport Manager. “During the past 12 years numerous attempts were made to have the content of the Security and ADM vetted for compliance according to the established international guidelines and criteria. We are now succeeding.”
ADM
The ADM describes the procedures and processes in place with regards to safety accountabilities and responsibilities at the Airport. The ADM contains reference documents and manuals and is to ensure that all personnel and management are fully informed of their duties and responsibilities.
The new airport terminal building in Statia is operational since July 2021. The old terminal building was in a bad state and not in line with the required international standards. “With the planning of the new terminal we also had a closer look at the international required documentation for the Airport and the Security. We concluded that the documentation wasn’t up to date or not present. During the year 2020, we prepared an inventory of all international and national required documents to have the FDR Airport compliant to the international regulations and legislation as described by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO),” says Arnold Cuvalay.
Security Plan and the Security Manual
For the Unit Security at the Airport two major documents were not in compliance: the Security Plan and the Security Manual. The Security Plan describes the way the Airport is secured against any unlawful acts against passengers, personnel, and aircrafts. The Security Manual describes how this is done and which procedures and protocols are followed. Van Velzen: “For the Unit Security these documents are extremely important to fulfill the duties, in a structured manner and in compliance with the requirements”. The audit of the Security Plan and Manual has already taken place in April 2022 and FDR is enroute in obtaining the certification.
Fully certified
The aim is to have the airport fully certified in 2023. Once the ADM is fully approved, the process of certification will start. An audit by the Aerodrome will be conducted to determine if the daily operations occur as described in the ADM. After a successful audit, the ILT issues an Airport Certificate which provides the Public Entity St. Eustatius with the documented proof that the facility operates in a safe and efficient manner, according to the established standards.
