Dhaka: Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon on Monday said a foreign company will be appointed to train the officials of Shahjalal International Airport with a view to strengthening its security.

The foreign company will be appointed for supervising and providing training to the authorities concerned of the airport for a period of six months on a temporary basis, Menon said, while talking to reporters after a meeting with Indian High Commissioner Harsh Vardhan Shringla at the Secretariat.

The company will be appointed from a list provided by the British delegation by 20 March, he said.

However, a seven-member steering committee, headed by Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon, has been formed to oversee further improvements to the security regime at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

On 8 March, the British government banned cargo on passenger flights from Dhaka to the UK until further notice as part of a ‘set of interim measures’.

Recent security assessments of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport found that some international security requirements were not being met, the UK government said in a notice issued on 8 March.  

Airlines carrying cargo between Bangladesh and the UK on indirect routes are being asked to ensure that it is re-screened before its final leg into the UK, according to the UK Department for Transport.

The British government is working with the government of Bangladesh to support them in improving the standards for all aspects of aviation security.

Earlier, the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved a project worth Tk 90 crore to purchase modern ground handling equipment as per the directives given by the British authorities.