Эксперт по авиационной безопасности призвал Вануату пересмотреть меры защиты после ограбления аэропорта

Director for Accreditation and Training at the Office for Transportation Security under the Philippines Department of Transportation, Nicolas Quemado Jr. Director for Accreditation and Training at the Office for Transportation Security under the Philippines Department of Transportation, Nicolas Quemado Jr. By Ezra Toara Director Ruben Fajardo Jr. of the Philippines Office for Transportation Security Last year’s armed robbery at the Port Vila Airport has highlighted the need for authorities to conduct a fresh security risk assessment and review Vanuatu’s aviation security programme, according to an aviation expert. Director for Accreditation and Training at the Office for Transportation Security (OTS) under the Philippines Department of Transportation, Nicolas Quemado Jr., said incidents should prompt authorities to reassess existing security measures and identify areas that may require strengthening. “Though it is not particularly an uncertain security situation, they must have conducted a new risk assessment to cover this incident so that they can revise their national security programme to address this problem,” he said. He made these remarks during an International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Aviation Security Managers Course held in Port Vila, where aviation security officials from Vanuatu, the Philippines and Vietnam came together to exchange experience and discuss measures to strengthen aviation security. Quemado explained that ICAO member states are required to maintain a national civil aviation security programme aligned with ICAO standards and recommended practices. He said the national security programme is based on security risk assessments, which help authorities identify potential threats and determine the measures required to mitigate them. According to Quemado, the programme also includes a security training component, which establishes training requirements for personnel involved in airport operations. It also includes quality control and oversight mechanisms designed to ensure that security measures are being properly implemented. “This is the one who will conduct the inspection, to see if indeed these security programmes are being practised,” he said. The armed robbery at Bauerfield International Airport in Port Vila on December 29, 2025, saw about AUD600,000, equivalent to approximately VT49.9 million, stolen from a vehicle transporting foreign currency to the airport. The robbery involved several offenders, the use of a firearm, violence and threats, and was later described by the court as a highly planned and organised operation. Nine men were sentenced by the Supreme Court in August 2026 for their respective roles in the robbery, vehicle theft and handling of stolen money. The case has raised questions about whether existing airport security procedures adequately identified and addressed the risks associated with the movement of large amounts of cash in and around the airport. For Quemado, the appropriate response to such an incident is not simply to increase security personnel, but to reassess the threat, identify vulnerabilities and adjust the national security programme where necessary. Quemado said the course provided an opportunity for participants to share practical countermeasures that could be adapted to prevent security incidents at airports. He said the Philippine officials shared their experience with their Vanuatu counterparts on measures that could help address security threats, ranging from ordinary criminal activity to more serious aviation-security risks. “We shared all these steps, all those developed countermeasures that we have to adapt in the airport so that all these things, from simple crimes, will not happen in the future,” he said. He said Vanuatu officials participating in the training were receptive to the advice and that the course provided an opportunity for both countries to learn from each other. Director Ruben Fajardo Jr. of the Philippines Office for Transportation Security also commented on the security environment he observed during his time in Vanuatu. Fajardo said he was surprised to learn of the airport robbery, describing Vanuatu as a generally peaceful country based on his observations during his stay. He said the experience reinforced the importance of having appropriate security measures in place even in locations generally considered peaceful. Fajardo said the aviation security training provided an opportunity to share countermeasures and practices that could help prevent similar incidents in the future.