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Langkawi International Airport received the Aerodrome Certification from the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), certifying that the airport has been audited and meets the Aerodrome Certification requirement by International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). This is a new mandatory requirement of ICAO, which requires all international airports open for public use to provide uniform safety conditions for all aircraft.
The certificate was presented by Y. Bhg. Dato' Ir. Kok Soo Chon, Director General of DCA to Y. Bhg. Dato' Seri Bashir Ahmad, Managing Director of Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (Malaysia Airports) in a ceremony held at a hotel in Langkawi today. Y. Bhg. Tan Sri Datuk Dr Aris Othman, Chairman of Malaysia Airports witnessed the certificate presentation.
This certificate acknowledges that Langkawi International Airport has met the stringent requirements on Aerodrome Certification based on Annex 14 Convention on International Civil Aviation. This certificate confirms that: 1. Langkawi International Airport has the necessary competency to ensure safety and efficiency of operations 2. The Langkawi International Airport Aerodrome Manual complies with the requirements of ICAO Document 9774 3. Infrastructures, Services and Facilities at Langkawi International Airport comply with the Annex 14 Convention on International Civil Aviation specifications and other specifications set by DCA 4. The aerodrome operations procedures comply to safety measures for aircraft operations
The objective of aerodrome certification is to establish a regulatory system to ensure that the facilities, equipment and operational procedures at certified aerodrome are in compliance with the Standard and Recommended practices specified in the ICAO Annex 14 document. The need for aerodrome certification arises due to rapid air transport growth, the increasing trend towards privatization of aerodrome and the increasing global concerns on aviation safety. All five international airports, namely KL International Airport (KLIA), Penang International Airport, Langkawi International Airport, Kota Kinabalu International Airport and Kuching International Airport have received the Aerodrome Certification.
To further enhance the facilities and services at all airports, DCA has also requested for all domestic airports to obtain the Aerodrome Certification. Thus, Malaysia Airports has embarked on the efforts to get all its domestic airports the Aerodrome Certification.
Tawau Airport has received its Aerodrome Certification while DCA is currently auditing all the other domestic airports. Dato' Seri Bashir said, "For this year, we are targeting six other domestic airports to be certified i.e. Bintulu, Alor Star, Sandakan, Kota Bharu, Ipoh and Sibu." Langkawi International Airport adds another feather to its cap on the same night when it received the MS ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management System from SIRIM QAS International Sdn. Bhd. The certificate was presented to the Managing Director of Malaysia Airports by Y. Bhg. Dato' Dr. Mohd Ariffin Hj. Aton, President of SIRIM Berhad, witnessed by the Chairman of Malaysia Airports. The scope of registration for this certification is Management, Operations and Maintenance of Airport covering Airport Fire and Rescue Services, Aviation Security, Engineering and General Operations. Dato' Seri Bashir said, "The airports which have been ISO certified have actually been 'transformed' to a certain extent. The staff's work attitude has improved and processes has been more efficient, systematic and with minimum errors." Malaysia Airports is currently working on five other domestic airports namely Subang, Limbang, Terengganu, Alor Star and Lahad Datu, targeted to be certified by 2006 while the other 10 domestic airports have been ISO-certified.
Dato' Seri Bashir elaborated, "SIRIM will be auditing Subang Airport and Limbang Airport in June, Terengganu Airport and Lahad Datu Airport in July while Alor Star Airport will be audited in August 2006. We foresee there will be no major non-compliances and these airports should be getting their certifications soon." He added, "I am also proud to note that all of our international airports have been certified by SIRIM since last year, thus proving our commitment towards ensuring that the airports are following all necessary procedures in its daily operations." For their dedication, commitment and tireless effort towards achieving these certifications, the eight divisions / units at Langkawi International Airport received Certificate of Appreciations, which were presented by the Chairman of Malaysia Airports to the respective heads of divisions / units. Without doubt, these certifications will further encourage the staff, particularly at this airport to strive harder in maintaining and justifying the acknowledgement by DCA and SIRIM. Malaysia Airports manages and operates 39 airports in Malaysia: 5 international, 16 domestic and 18 Short Take-Off and Landing Ports (STOL Ports). On November 30, 1999, Malaysia Airports became the first airport company to be listed in Asia. KL International Airport (KLIA), its flagship airport was voted as the Best Airport (15-25 million passengers per annum) in the 2005 AETRA awards. Malaysia Airports has also been entrusted to host the 2008 World Route Development Forum, the first airport operator in Asia to be given the honour of hosting this world-class airport-airlines event. Source: Press Release
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