ICAO Starts Safety And Security Audit of Freetown International Airport

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has started safety and security audit of the Freetown International Airport and Sierra Leone’s civil aviation industry.

During a meeting on Wednesday morning at Youyi Building with the Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority (SLCAA) and the Sierra Leone Airport Authority (SLAA), Louis Opoku of the ICAO Team Leader said the auditing process will be done in three phases.

“The first phase is the pre-audit, the second phase is on-site audit and the final phase is the post-audit,” Opoku said.

He stated that the ICAO team would have to draft their report in 90 days after the audit and Sierra Leone to reply in 45 days after they submitted their report.

The sub-regional benchmark for safety and security which is the Abuja safety target is set at 60 percent while international standards, the Global Aviation Safety Plan accept nothing less than 75 percent.

Sierra Leone’s previous scores were 16 percent in 2006 and 18.5 percent in 2014.

“Based on how we have prepared ourselves, we believe that we will score above the Global Aviation Safety Plan (above 70 percent),” said Dr. Moses Tiffa Baio, the Director General of the Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority.

He said that the auditing is important because a pass will see the aviation activities in the country at an apex level.

The Director General said, at present, the country cannot register carriers because it has not passed previous audits done by ICAO.

“Sierra Leone is currently blacklisted by the European Union and that means that carriers registered under the country cannot be allowed to use Europe or the United States,” he said.

The West African nation recently opened a modernised terminal at the airport but locals have complained that the airport has extra fees that makes it more expensive to use than other regional airports.

“One of the reasons that fees are high at our airport is because we have failed to pass the ICAO audit,” Dr. Baio said.

He said the country will have the opportunity to register carriers which will bring economic benefits to the state.

The SLCAA is confident that the country will pass their audit this time round especially with a new legislation passed in April 2023.

ICAO team members include Irishman Paul Harvey, Moroccan Mbarek Lfakir, Senegalese Papa Issa Mbengue and Togolese Atchou Kossi Amah.

Chadian Parfait Djimhomadji is also part of the ICAO team.