The eighth Aviation Security (AVSEC) Seminar for the Eastern European, Central Asian, Balkan and Baltic area of the European region was conducted from 6 to 8 July, hosted by Latvia in Riga and was attended by 42 participants from 10 States.
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This annual practical seminar aimed at assisting States and other Stakeholders in understanding Annex 17 and Annex 9 security-related Standards and Recommended Practices and the means to implement them at national and industry level.
Mr. Talis Linkaitis, Minister of Transport and Mr. Maris Gorodcovs, Director of Civil Aviation Agency were present for the opening ceremony and welcomed the participants, noting the challenges faced by civil aviation sector and highlighting the importance of capacity building initiatives.
The first day of the seminar was dedicated to Cybersecurity. The information on the global developments such as the new ICAO Cybersecurity Policy, Cybersecurity action plan and other guidance material was presented by ICAO and examples of implementation shared by States triggered fruitful deliberations and exchange of ideas among the participants.
The second day of the seminar concentrated on Security Quality Control. The participants, among other things, were reminded of the Critical Elements of Aviation Security Oversight System, namely Critical Element 7: Quality Control Obligations; Annex 17 requirements related to quality control, the objectives and structure of National Civil Aviation Security Quality Control Programme (NCASQCP), risk-based planning of monitoring activities, reporting and corrective actions, as well as training and the powers of national AVSEC inspectors. States shared their experience and achievements in building National Security Oversight Systems. Active discussions took place throughout the presentations. To set the scene for the third day of the seminar, ICAO provided a short update on the ICAO Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) global developments and upcoming events.
On the third day of the seminar, the Civil Aviation Agency of Latvia organized a visit to a UAS Factory and Air Baltic Training Centre. The participants received information on the types of UAS produced by the factory, CAA approval processes and visited the production and assembly site. At the training centre, a demonstration of the use of restraining devices employed by Air Baltic crew and instruction on the preparation of least-risk bomb location onboard aircraft were provided.
