The new terminal building at F.D. Roosevelt Airport in St. Eustatius has been operational since July 2021.
ST. EUSTATIUS--The Netherlands Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate ILT recently approved the security manual for F.D. Roosevelt (FDR) Airport in St. Eustatius. The public entity St. Eustatius is currently implementing the manual. The draft Security Plan was also submitted to the ILT for approval.
The Security Plan and security manual are part of the certification of compliancy with Aviation Security Law. Another very important compliancy certification is the aerodrome manual ADM which is part of the Aviation Law for Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba
The ILT is the national authority on civil aviation in the Netherlands, resorting under the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management I&W.
After several pre-audits of the documents by the ILT, the final drafts were prepared and sent for approval.
“Our team is proud and joyful, as this is a very important step in the development of the security and airport units at FDR Airport of Statia,” according to security manager Maurice van Velzen and acting airport manager Arnold Cuvalay. “During the past 12 years numerous attempts were made to have the content of the security and ADM vetted for compliance according to the established international guidelines and criteria. We are now succeeding.”
The ADM describes the procedures and processes in place with regard to safety accountability and responsibility at the airport. It contains reference documents and manuals, and is to ensure that all personnel and management are fully informed of their duties and responsibilities.
The new airport terminal building in Statia has been operational since July 2021. The old terminal building was in a bad state and not in line with the required international standards.
“With the planning of the new terminal we also had a closer look at the internationally required documentation for the airport and security. We concluded that the documentation wasn’t up to date, or not present. During the year 2020, we prepared an inventory of all internationally and nationally required documents to have the FDR Airport compliant with the international regulations and legislation, as described by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO),” says Cuvalay.
For the airport’s security unit two major documents were not in compliance: the Security Plan and the security manual. The Security Plan describes the way the airport is secured against any unlawful acts against passengers, personnel and aircraft. The security manual describes how this is done, and what procedures and protocols are to be followed.
Van Velzen: “For the Unit Security these documents are extremely important to fulfill the duties in a structured manner, and in compliance with the requirements.”
The audit of the Security Plan and manual took place in April 2022 and FDR is en route to obtaining certification. The aim is to have the airport fully certified in 2023. Once the ADM is fully approved, the process of certification will start.
An audit will be conducted to determine whether the daily operations occur as described in the ADM. After a successful audit, the ILT issues an airport certificate which provides the public entity St. Eustatius with documented proof that the facility operates in a safe and efficient manner, and in accordance with the established standards.
