Restrictions were placed on the operating certificate of the Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport (CJLIA) from midnight on August 21, 2016. Major deficiencies identified in the management and operation of the security and safety systems at the Airport prompted this action by the civil aviation regulator for the UK Overseas Territories, Air Safety Support International (ASSI).
The Board of Directors of the Anguilla Air and Sea Ports Authority (AASPA) with little delay authorized robust action to rectify the deficiencies and to meet the conditions for lifting the restrictions placed on the operations at the Airport. The Board’s strategy has included authorizing specific directors to exercise close oversight and to assist directly with the management of the Airport. In particular the Board decided to engage the services of skilled and experienced external consultants to advise, guide, lead and oversee the Airport management’s efforts to expeditiously and satisfactorily correct the deficiencies. .
Mr. Allen Barnett, a widely experienced and skilled civil aviation regulatory consultant was quickly recruited and since August 30 has been leading the Airport’s management in their efforts to close the findings and to prepare the ground for a review audit by ASSI in October. Mr. Barnett and the Airport management have been in regular contact with ASSI thereby enabling ASSI to closely monitor progress in rectifying the findings.
The Airport management team under Mr. Barnett’s leadership, in the course of dealing with the regulator’s findings has identified related security and safety deficiencies, not identified by the regulator, but which were likely to be identified subsequently, the rectification of which would significantly improve the security and safety operations of the Airport. This represents the potential for self auditing and quality management to improve and maintain high standards.
AASPA assessed that after four weeks under the guidance of Mr. Barnett, sufficient progress should be made to justify a compliance review of the results achieved against the regulatory standards. To this end, Mr. Alan Shaw, a veteran civil aviation regulatory consultant from the United Kingdom has been contracted to carry out an independent compliance exercise. He arrived in Anguilla on Monday September 26 and will be here for the rest of the week reviewing and assessing what has been accomplished by the Airport management. Mr. Shaw will report his findings to AASPA’s directors, to Mr. Barnett and the Airport management and to the regulator.
It is AASPA’s hope that Mr. Shaw’s report will be sufficiently positive to trigger a review audit by Air Safety Support International shortly after the completion of his assignment.
– Presss Release
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
