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Saipan aiport put on high alert level
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Posted on Dec 18 1998
The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered Saipan International Airport to tighten security and remain under Alert 3 status following the United States bombing of Iraq.
“We have been instructed to pay particular attention to persons associated with Iraq and to sympathizers of the Iraqi cause,” said Carlos H. Salas, executive director of the Commonwealth Ports Authority. Alert 3 is a step lower than the highest security warning, which normally deals with threats to airports and airlines.
The ports authority may take extra security measure by adding patrols in plain clothes throughout the airport facilities, said Rino Celis, airport manager. In addition, the ports authority has controlled access to secured areas by stopping the issuance of security clearance to officials who want to greet their guests inside the airport.
The U.S. launched airstrikes on Iraq’s targets Wednesday after it failed to give the U.N. Special Commission headed by Richard Butler the cooperation it needs so that it can complete its verification of Iraq’s disarmament.
As early as four months ago, the FAA has required increased alertness on all civil aviation security personnel for an indefinite period of time due to activities of terrorist groups.
The ports authority has earlier placed the airport on security alert level three as a precautionary measure last September following Washington’s missile strikes in Sudan and Afghanistan.
Concerns have been raised by FAA on the need to tighten security in all airports in a seminar on aviation which Salas recently attended.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Transportation has imposed a new rule requiring all airline passengers bound for the United States to provide additional background information before boarding the plane so that they can provide assistance to their families in the event of an aviation disaster.
Based the new guidelines, family members will get accommodation and travel assistance to and from the accident sites as well as memorial services.
