Chief Executive Order No. 68/2023 – “Macao Special Administrative Region Civil Aviation Security Programme (MCASP)” was yesterday promulgated in the Official Gazette (BO) and is slated to come into effect on July 1, a Civil Aviation Authority (AACM) statement said.
According to Article 8 of the Administrative Regulation No. 16/2022 – “Air Transport Facilitation and Civil Aviation Security Systems”, the AACM drafted the programme, yesterday’s statement noted, which “stipulates the statutory requirements for the protection of civil aviation security activities from unlawful interference”.
The statement pointed out that the programme aims to balance the safety and efficiency factors for flight operations and ensure that the standards and recommended practices of civil aviation security laid out in international conventions are followed, and also that the relevant provisions of Macau’s laws and regulations are applied.
The statement said that both the “Macau Special Administrative Region Civil Aviation Security Quality Control Programme” and the “Macau Special Administrative Region Civil Aviation Security Training Programme”, which contain the legal requirements for quality control and training work, are annexes to the programme.
The programme applies to all activities within an aerodrome located in Macau or in an aircraft registered or operated in the special administrative region.
The statement added that it also applies to all the activities “related to the provision of goods or services to or through aerodromes” located in Macau by entities that apply civil aviation security standards and requirements, and operate from facilities located inside or outside those aerodromes.
All operators within the scope of the respective applications, the statement said, need to develop their own security programmes according to the MCASP requirements and submit their programmes, as well as any subsequent changes, to the AACM for approval.
The statement added that “operators must fulfil their obligations to ensure that the security controls and security inspection procedures performed by them are done in accordance with their programmes”, noting that the AACM will conduct audits and periodic and non-periodic inspections on operators to verify their compliance.
The AACM will conduct an investigation if non-compliance is found and may penalise operators in line with the “Air Transport Facilitation and Civil Aviation Security Systems” penalty scheme, the statement added.
This undated handout photo provided by the Civil Aviation Authority (AACM) yesterday shows passengers having their luggage checked at the oversized baggage area of the local airport in Taipa.
