MBJ defends airport action

The Editor, Sir:

MBJ Airports Limited, as the private company under a 30-year concession to manage and operate Sangster International Airport, appreciates the comments in the editorial of July 17, regarding the recent challenges with immigration processing. As airport operator, we are mandated to ensure Sangster is operated in a safe, secure and efficient manner for the benefit of Jamaicans and visitors to Jamaica.

Our priority is to ensure the smooth transition of passengers arriving and departing through this airport, being the first and last impression to the many tourists that visit this beautiful island. Our staff and those of many of the agencies that have operations at Sangster are trained to the highest international standards, making Sangster International Airport the Leading Caribbean Airport (World Travel Awards 2009).

We continue to work directly with the leadership of Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency - the ministries of tourism, transport and national security on any matters that can have a negative impact on the reputation of this airport and of Jamaica. It is paramount that we all work as a team and not as individuals.

Addressing misinformation

We feel the need to address misinformation included in the editorial that has also been echoed elsewhere regarding security and the incident of April 2009 at Sangster International Airport. It is incorrect to suggest that the incident was a direct result of weak security measures or the fault of any one or several individuals who did not perform their duties. First, the airport operator and the security personnel are not law-enforcement agents. They are not armed, as is typical in most airports around the world. The security personnel must liaise with armed personnel, in this case the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), to respond to a security threat of this nature. The armed response for this incident was one minute 15 seconds. The average mandated armed response at airports around the world is five minutes, demonstrating the outstanding performance of the JCF on site that evening. We remind all that the incident was brought to a peaceful conclusion with no injuries or loss of life, for which we are all grateful.

The actions of the individuals working for Port Security that evening were not only appropriate, but were found to have gone above and beyond the call of duty when faced with an armed intruder. The intruder was followed by the unarmed security personnel and never let out of sight until the armed JCF personnel were in a position to take over the situation. The primary concern is to avoid a confrontation of any armed individual and the possible discharging of a weapon in a public area.

Investigation

The Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority extensively investigated the incident, as did many other international agencies, including the Transport Security Administration and Transport Canada, who are in the best position to pass judgement on the handling of the events that evening. They found the security at Sangster International Airport to be very good and the individuals performed exceptionally in their efforts to safeguard the airport and the public that were in the building.

Sangster International Airport is operated by MBJ Airports Limited on behalf of the Government of Jamaica for Jamaica. We can all be proud at the high standard of this airport and the personnel that perform their duties every day as a team.

I am, etc.,

FERNANDO BOSQUE

Chief Executive Officer

MBJ Airports Limited