CAAB goes slow in setting up APIS

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) is making slow progress in implementing the "Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS)" at the country's international airports, despite its critical importance in preventing criminals, human traffickers, and smugglers.

Initiated in 2016, the project remains at the discussion stage.

Air Vice Marshal Md Monjur Kabir Bhuiyan, chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh, told the FE that an 11-member negotiation committee headed by an additional secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism is currently reviewing and evaluating proposals submitted by different countries to implement the project.

The committee was formed early this year, added the CAAB chairman.

If implemented, the project will enable the country's immigration authorities to receive advance information on every passenger arriving and departing Bangladesh.

As a result, if a top international terrorist attempts to enter the country, or a top terrorist or criminal tries to leave Dhaka, the immigration authorities will be alerted in advance.

The CAAB hopes that this system will contribute to combating international terrorism and smuggling.

Wing Commander Md Zahangir Hossain, director of Aviation Security (AVSEC) at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, told the FE that they have handled a total of 10.2 million international passengers in 2024 at the Dhaka airport.

Identifying whether these passengers are human traffickers, drug smugglers, or other criminals is very challenging. However, with APIS, it will be easier to detect and identify such individuals in advance.

Apart from this, Bangladesh is a member of both the United Nations and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). According to the directives of these organisations, Bangladesh is obligated to implement APIS technology to ensure international security. Failure to comply may result in restrictions or a ban on operating international flights.

Therefore, to fulfill international obligations and combat crime, a committee was formed in 2016 to implement APIS. A dedicated cell was established the following year, and a joint technical subcommittee was formed in 2018.

In 2019, the then top officials of the CAAB and concerned ministry, through email, invited different international technology firms to submit estimated budgets for the project, bypassing an open tender process. Three institutions from Canada, France, and the United Arab Emirates expressed interest in participating.

However, CAAB later took an initiative to implement the project through a government-to-government (G2G) deal with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), ignoring interest of the other competitors.

At that time Canada also proposed to implement the project under the G2G deal. However, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism in January in 2022 took the decision to implement the project by UAE firms and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed in December that year.

As per condition, UAE will implement the project using technology and software of multinational company SITA.

An ICAO assessment recommended setting a fee of USD 3.5 for each international passenger's arrival or departure, to be paid by the passengers.

However, SITA is stepping to proceed with the project at a comparatively higher cost than the ICAO recommendation, a CAAB official said, requesting anonymity.

If the project is implemented at a higher cost, it will place an additional burden on the passengers, most of whom are Bangladeshi labourers working in different countries.

Abdun Naser Khan, head of the negotiation committee for the APIS Project and also an additional secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, told the FE that they held a meeting in the first week of April, and nothing has been finalised yet.

Recently, a Singaporean company, CrimsonLogic, has also submitted a proposal to the concerned ministry to implement the project at a cost of USD 3.5 per passenger.

However, Adbun Naser Khan said information about the offers of other companies has not reached him.

As per CAAB information, immigration police, National Board of Revenue (NBR), Department of Immigration and Passport, National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre (NTMC), Bangladesh Tourism Board (BTB), intelligence agencies of the country and the CAAB will have access to the information of the APIS.

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