Airgest: Trapani’s airport receives AGC international certification
(WAPA) – The increased passenger and aircraft traffic in 2010 forces the airport of Trapani-Birgi to a corresponding and proportional increase of security levels. This was the theme of a press conference held today at “Vincenzo Florio” airport.
Airgest (management company of the Trapani airport), in this also fulfilling its role of airport operator, has started a series of important actions in order to increase the airside’s “Safety” levels, and in particular:
1) Degumming of the runway was performed; (according to ENAC’s regulations, after a number of take-offs and landings the gummy remains on the runway must be removed as they’re source of a possible danger on the case of critical landings or take-off abortion)
2) The works of realization of the new runway’s roadmarkings and connections are ongoing;
3) In the month of November a new operational team (TAM) was created to take care of the maintaining of safety operational levels. Among the aims of the team there is the costant check of the activity of the avifauna. In the last three months, the bird-strikes decreased by 70% over the previous year. The team moreover deals with the daily monitoring of the runway and connections.
4) It is being completed, and it is almost finished, the new airport emergency plan. Soon it will be tested for the first time in a general exercise.
5) The gates in the apron which represented a possible obstacle to navigation have been removed. This operation will allow the passage of the airport to a higher ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) class.
6) A Ground frequency for ground-ground communications to increase the efficiency levels of the air flow management has been introduced;
7) Further works have been made on the apron to level off and make safe certain taxiing areas;
8) They’re to be cut the trees in the area at the margin of the airside. Cut was made necessary by the application of APT-A01 circular of ENAC (Italian civil aviation board) on the measures of prevention of bird-strike (that is the impact of birds against the aircraft).
This morning Ana Maria Pastor, Head of Immigration Affairs of Ryanair has delivered the AGC (Approved Gate Check), an international certification issued by the UK Border Agency, to the president, Salvatore Ombra.
The AGC Status is an award granted, following to an audit by UK Border Agency to ports and airports of embark that certificates a high standard into the document’s control and to respect the security procedures.
Something more of a quality certification of the series of checks from the moment in which the passenger directed to Great Britain lands in airport: from the travel document’s control to the identity document’s one through a detailed analysis from ticket office, to the passageways for security, to the embarking gates that, for the sensitive flights are isolated from the other gates.
Besides the president Salvatore Ombra and Ana Maria Pastor, were presented at the press-conference also the Vice-Police officer Giuseppe Russo, delegate of naval and air border police, the vice-police commissioner Marcello Landolina, vice-director of the same Police office; Professor Sebastiano Tusa, Superintendent of Cultural and Environmental Heritage of Trapani; Giancarlo Guarrera, Airgest’s Director-general; Rosa Santoro, in charge for security.
