Gov’t auditor accuses airport management of overlooking security flaws

The Macau International Airport Company (CAM), the concessionaire that manages the daily operation of the Macau International Airport, has been accused of overlooking security loopholes in the baggage handling process.

This was pointed out yesterday in a report compiled by the government’s Audit Commission, which highlighted a flawed security system proposed by CAM that was later abandoned. It said that the system had the potential for explosives to be smuggled into checked luggage.

Originally, under the proposal, passengers were required to have their luggage scanned and sealed with an easily detached sticker prior to starting their check-in procedure. The report suggested that the time interval between the sealing and check-in procedure could allow passengers to insert prohibited or dangerous items into their luggage.

In response, the airport upgraded its scanners for detecting explosives to a four-tier system that detects explosives automatically.

However, a fundamental flaw was spotted: The system could lose track of the luggage and lead to the necessity for human checking. This realization has significantly jeopardized the efficiency of the airport, according to the report.

Moreover, the last layer of inspection did not come at the same time as the X-ray image of the suspected luggage, which, in the opinion of the Audit Commission, could pose a risk to the inspecting officer, who would not know if the bag’s contents were potentially dangerous.

The report pointed out that the four-tier scanner system was never put into operation because the safety and security flaw would not be accepted by the Civil Aviation Authority.

The report accused the management of CAM of having a passive response to the security flaw. CAM had approved the new system in 2014 but did not actually put the MOP70-million system into operation. Not until June 2018 did CAM follow up the problem under pressure from the government.

The Audit Commission also accused CAM of liberally spending funds on a provisional business aviation hangar that was set to operate for nine years but operated for just eight and a half years. Worse still, it serviced less than 75% of its occupancy rate expected by CAM. The Audit Commission estimates a loss ranging between MOP80 million and MOP166 million.

Moreover, the Audit Commission did not see any immediate necessity for CAM to end the hangar’s operation after just eight and a half years.

CAM issued a statement yesterday in response to the report. It pledged to scrutinize its operation and correct the mistakes pointed out by the Audit Commission. It also said that it believes it will further improve under the leadership of the new government.

Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Raimundo do Rosário, told the press yesterday afternoon that he was aware of the report, but did not have time to finish reading it yet. He clarified that the accusations are against CAM instead of the aviation authority.