Grenada to Implement ICAO Tips Following Assessment

Grenada is to put together an action plan to implement the recommendations of the International Civil Aviation Organization following its recent inspection of island´s aviation services.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism´s Civil Aviation Officer, Earl Charles, reportedly said that the audit inspection was not to give a pass or fail grade but was one that was designed to determine the island compliance regarding implementation of standards as outlined in the Convention on International Civil Aviation and to determine the extent to which the island´s implementation of its security system is sustainable through established legislation.

Launched in June 2002, the ICAO Universal Security Audit Program represents an important initiative in ICAO´s strategy for strengthening aviation security worldwide and for attaining commitment from its members in a collaborative effort to establish a global aviation security system since the events September 11, 2001.

The objective of the USAP is to promote global aviation security through the auditing of members on a regular basis to assist them in their efforts to fulfill their aviation security responsibilities. The audits identify deficiencies in each member aviation security system, and provide recommendations for improvement.

Implementation of the program commenced with the first aviation security audit taking place in November 2002 and between three and four audits continues to be conducted around the world each month. It is expected that all of ICAO´s 189 member states will have benefited from an initial audit by the end of 2007.