Editorial
An airport without fire-tenders!
A case of woeful lack of concern for passenger safety
WORKINGS of some of the state agencies never cease to startle us. But the violation of airport safety regulations by the airport authorities at Chittagong airport tops it all for the way the authorities have displayed an appalling lack of concern for passenger safety.
It is shocking to learn that an airport, and that too an international airport, has been operating without its integral compliment of firefighting vehicles. It defies logic - since such a state has been prevailing not for a day or two or a week - the three firefighting vehicles of the airport authority at the Shah Amanat International Airport have been out of order for the last eight long weeks, when such a state is not acceptable even for a day. And all these days, reportedly, some aircrafts have risked landing without the presence of a fire vehicle - either because the fire department vehicles did not arrive in time or the aircrafts arrived before schedule. This is a totally unacceptable situation.
It is disquieting that the relevant authorities have failed to ensure that the vehicles are repaired or replaced within the shortest possible time. To agree to an arrangement where firefighting vehicles are provided from the fire service - on flight to flight basis - is ridiculous to say the least. There are so many imponderables with the fire department vehicles having to travel 12 kilometers - from the city to the airport.
It is all thanks to Providence that no emergency occurred during this period - but we cannot chance our luck every time - and leave the safely of the passengers in the hands of fate alone. And apart from that, the prevailing situation risks the airport being ordered to close down by the ICAO.
We would like to ask as to why these vehicles had not been repaired or replaced in the last eight weeks? If, according to a CAAB member operation, the fire tenders are not fully unserviceable, why is the need for the special arrangements with the fire department? And what does a state of, ' not fully unserviceable' denote?
The CAAB is one department that cannot brook any excuse for circumventing safety measures. One would hope that those departments whose action or inaction affects the lives of people would display more alacrity and imagination in their workings.
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