Madrid, March 21st, 2024
"Air transport facilitation, the other side of Security"
Diana Simón has been an AVSEC auditor for SENASA since 2016, supporting the Spanish Aviation Safety and Security Agency (AESA). As an expert in Air Transport Facilitation, she explains in this interview to MEET OUR TEAM what facilitation consists of, what role SENASA plays in supporting the Spanish authority in this area and how the foundations have been laid to be a reference for other countries.
Air Transport Facilitation covers all those measures and procedures that try to make air transport more efficient, comfortable, smooth and safe. In Spain, facilitation is a responsibility assigned to AESA and is one of the areas in which SENASA offers technical support, through our expert personnel in the field. It is commonly said that facilitation is the other side of operational security.
All provisions relating to the Facilitation of Air Transport are included in ICAO Annex 9, which establishes the measures that States must adopt to facilitate air navigation between territories, avoid unnecessary delays for aircraft, crews, passengers. and cargo, especially in the application of immigration, health, customs, and clearance laws.
The continuous improvement in control and service processes implicit in facilitation requires a high degree of cooperation between the different organizations involved. In the case of Spain, we have the National Facilitation Committee which is represented by the civil aviation authority (DGAC and AESA), Ministries of the Interior, Health, Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, Treasury (Customs), AENA and consultative members (representatives of airlines and handling and cargo companies).
The work of the Committee has been crucial, for example, in the management of air transport during the pandemic. So much so that the Spanish example has been taken as a reference for future cases, standardizing all the measures taken with airport managers during the pandemic, as well as all the coordination carried out between Health and the manager, so that it is documented as a repository.
Furthermore, in 2024 the 75th anniversary of Annex 9 will be celebrated, so numerous events, meetings and seminars are planned to disseminate the importance of Air Transport Facilitation. It is a great opportunity to publicize initiatives, share good practices and promote actions among all facilitation experts, which are then reflected in the adoption of commitments by the ICAO and all member states.
Read here the complete interview.