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ITF calls for safety audit of Iraqi airports
17 May 2007
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| Aerial view of Baghdad airport. Image courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov | |
The ITF is demanding that a safety audit be carried out at two Iraqi airports following reports that poor safety measures are putting workers’ lives in jeopardy.
In a letter to the Regional Director of the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) Middle East, M R M Khonji, ITF Civil Aviation Section Secretary Ingo Marowsky called for a safety oversight audit of Basrah and Baghdad airports to be undertaken. Concerns were raised by ITF-affiliated civil aviation unions based in Iraq, an ICAO member, during an ITF civil aviation seminar in Jordan earlier this year. They complained about a number of issues, including the absence of safety procedures when evacuation sirens were activated, which was putting lives at risk. They also highlighted the fact that military jurisdiction appeared to override any civil authority presence at these airports.
In the letter, dated 15 May, Marowsky stated: “Our affiliates believe that ICAO standards and recommended practices are not only being flouted, but at times are non-existent at these airports, especially in terms of ground handling operations. There is now a strong belief that these airports would not meet the requirements of an ICAO universal safety oversight audit despite the number of civilian flights taking place from these airports.”
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