The security measures taken by Suriname's international airport to prepare for the 1,000,000th passenger

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JOHAN ADOLF PENGEL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTJOHAN ADOLF PENGEL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
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2. I
n 2019, Johan Adolf Pengel
International Airport experienced
a decent growth rate of 13% in
passenger numbers, mainly achieved
by the new routes established by
Suriname's low-cost carrier, Fly All
Ways, as well as by Copa Airlines, Trans
Guyana Airways and TUI Fly. A new
airport terminal with a capacious arrival
and departure hall is planned for the
near future – the result of investment
from China – as the current airport
terminal cannot facilitate an increasing
number of passengers. Mendonça
explains that, “Suriname is looking into
new markets through bilateral- and
open-skies agreements with China,
the United Arab Emirates and a few
other countries”. Furthermore, Johan
Adolf Pengel International Airport is
making a continuous effort in route
development management to attract
more airlines. The recent discovery of
a significant oil field off the coast of
Suriname is likely to bring increased
potential for the Surinamese economy
and GDP which will, in turn, increase
the demand for air traffic.
San A Jong, a senior aviation security
expert is looking forward to the
developments and challenges ahead
as he oversees the security operations,
recruitment of security staff and
training. He states that, “direct flights
from Suriname to the United States
(which requires the adoption of certain
TSA requirements and ICAO standards
from both the airline and the airport)
demonstrate that the airport succeeds
in operating at a competent and
consistent standard”. Nevertheless,
“the standards of today might expire
tomorrow”, says San A Jong, so it is
crucial to continuously monitor trends,
case studies and best practices from
the industry.
In respect of airport equipment, San
A Jong shares that they are “working
on obtaining ACC3 status whereby
carriers can fly cargo from non-EU
airports into the European Union”.
This involves a significant investment
in X-ray equipment. Rapiscan, Nuctech
and Smiths Detection are currently
Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport is the international airport of Suriname
in South America. With one of the longest runways in the Caribbean region, in
2010 it served the Antonov An-225a – the world's largest cargo plane – and in
1937 facilitated Amelia Earhart on her second attempt to circumnavigate the
world by air. The airport is 52 kilometres (32 miles) away from the capital city
Paramaribo and serves as the hub for Surinam Airways. In December 2019,
after 24 years of operation, the airport welcomed its 500,000th passenger in a
single year, which is nearly equivalent to the total population in Suriname. The
airport, managed by Airport Management Ltd, has, as one of its key objectives,
to realise its annual one millionth passenger by 2033. In an interview with
Shalini Levens, the airport's CEO Timothy Mendonça and Deputy Head of
Security Derrick San A Jong discuss the expansion and the preparation from a
security perspective.
The Route to
One Million
Passengers:
increasing security efforts in Suriname
Timothy Mendonça, CEO of Johan Adolf Pengel
International Airport
February/March 2020 Aviation Security International28

3. being reviewed as suppliers since they
are widely used by customs authorities
in the European Union. However,
Nuctech's scanner has not yet been
approved in the USA and, since cargo
traffic between the United States
and Suriname is expected to rise,
management needs to make a strategic
decision for both regions. The airport
also operates millimetre wave scanners
and ETD machines to detect particles
of explosive material and narcotics.
San A Jong further mentions that,
“all flights receive the same screening
processes. This is crucial since there is
only one security checkpoint and one
waiting area.” This can result in lengthy
queues, but security staff are trained to
keep the process as orderly as possible
and to combine manual screening with
the use of scanners to meet growing
passenger numbers. Passengers going
to the United States are sometimes
in the same terminal as passengers
travelling to Curaçao and Trinidad,
necessitating all to be subjected to the
same degree of security inspection.
Apart from the potential for errors,
differences in security operations
between flights could cause frustration
and miscommunication among staff.
San A Jong further stresses that, “well-
trained staff can be more valuable
than machines in detecting suspicious
behaviour” and dealing with efficient
passenger flows.
Nevertheless, maintaining adequate
equipment is necessary for effective
operations. Mendonça acknowledges
and shares that some airline slots were
changed solely for security purposes
and oversight. The airport does not have
continuous movements, so to maintain
quality control and avert potential
weaknesses, security programmes
and competency tests are undertaken
regularly by computer-based testing of
X-ray operators and the incorporation
of threat image projection (TIP)
algorithms. This involves threats being
projected during live operations to
measure the staff's detection capability
and reaction time. Training is also
given on general airport security, which
involves behavioural analysis, awareness
of unattended baggage handling and
recognising malpractices. San A Jong
mentions that the airport does not have
a 100% inspection scheme in place
when it comes to vehicle screening
(basic searches are carried out), but
since the Surinamese culture is one
that observes and gives feedback, it is
not yet needed. This culture also helps
identify potential insider threats. In the
past, employees that assisted drug
smuggling were quickly detected and
dismissed on the spot, sending out a
message to all employees that strict
regulations apply to everyone.
Cargo screening is another crucial
component in the airport's screening
process since cargo loads are often
large and difficult to physically check.
Consequently, security staff are qualified
to analyse paper trails. Fish, usually
shipped in blocks of ice, is an example
of cargo posing challenges to the
screening process. The illegal smuggling
of exotic animals, snakes and frogs
still occurs regularly but, luckily, this is
often detected at a very early stage.
There are strict policies for transporting
animals since illegal activities such as
animal poaching and trafficking is a
recognised local issue, and uncontrolled
transportation of animals can result in
the transmission of viruses and other
diseases. San A Jong mentions that
screening for drug possession had
to be included in the regular security
screening process since it still happens
on a large scale, and can also be related
to other forms of crime and terrorism.
“…illegal smuggling of exotic
animals, snakes and frogs still
occurs regularly but, luckily,
this is often detected at a very
early stage…”
“…a firearm-dealing gang
travelling on a SkyTeam
airline from Ethiopia to
Curaçao and Suriname.
These members were
intercepted because of the
close co-operation of the
joint intelligence agencies
and Interpol…”Derrick San A Jong, Deputy Head of Security of
Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport
Credit: Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport
February/March 2020 Aviation Security International 29EUR +44 (0)20 3892 3050 USA +1 920 214 0140 www.asi-mag.com

4. Mendonça accepts the current processes because he
recognises that airports are used as scouting hubs for
criminals to carry out malpractices. Communication with other
countries, airports and the local police enforcement is key. A
recent success story for the airport involved a firearm-dealing
gang travelling on a SkyTeam airline from Ethiopia to Curaçao
and Suriname. These members were intercepted because
of the close co-operation of the joint intelligence agencies
and Interpol. Security staff are witnessing an encouraging
reduction in the amount of firearm trafficking; the record high
was in 2018 on flights from Guyana to Suriname.
San A Jong explains that security screening evolves with time.
To illustrate this, pepper spray is often discovered in the handbags
of women travelling from French Guyana, where it is legal to carry
as a self-defence product. However, these women used to be
arrested for illegal possession in Suriname where pepper spray is
prohibited. The airport has now changed the rule and now only
confiscates pepper spray without making any arrests.
The major challenges of recent growth reside in the need
for equipment and the expansion of the airport terminal
with enough seating capacity. Security personnel will be
made available by the government, and their training and
management will be carried out by airport management.
Mendonça reminds us that there are more stakeholders
involved in passenger growth than just the airport – hotels,
airlines, ground handlers, drug enforcement agencies, public
health agencies, police forces and the private sector to
name but a few. All of these organisations need to be able
to facilitate the increasing number of passengers in a safe,
sustainable and welcoming way. Since the airport is the
first and last point of contact with the country, Mendonça
is investing in customer-friendly programmes and policies
for all airport staff to focus on a positive customer journey
for the passenger. The opening of an additional lounge
with courtesy services is one example; the lounge helps
passengers to avoid the normal queues and facilitates private
immigration, baggage handling and a customs service.
In response to the often-asked ‘what keeps you awake at
night?’ question, San A Jong shares that the worst possible
scenario for him would be to receive a call informing him of
an emergency, such as a bomb threat or hijack, whilst at home.
Like most of the airport’s staff, he lives in Paramaribo, an hour
away from the airport, which is not ideal in an emergency.
Also keeping Mendonça awake is the capability and
resilience of the airport should an emergency occur.
Therefore, “the airport continuously reviews its contingency
plans with the staff, police and the fire brigade”.
To conclude our interview, I ask the two managers if there
is anything they are looking forward to when the 1,000,000th
passenger per annum point is reached. For San A Jong,
this will be “the increased quantity of peaks in the daily
operations, which will lead to even smoother operations
since activities will be spread throughout the day”. With
a higher number of passengers, “staff will gain more
experience, more adventure and have less of an opportunity
for ‘oxidation’ in security practices”. For Mendonça, the
challenge would be to run Johan Adolf Pengel International
Airport as one of the key players in the region in terms of
security standards, whilst maintaining a pleasant customer
journey and working on projects for other milestones.
Shalini Levens started her aviation career
with Perseuss, the shared web-based
platform for travel merchants to collaborate
against passenger and credit card fraud.
She then moved to the automotive sector
as a relationship manager for the Benelux
region of TomTom Telematics. Shalini is
currently pursuing her master’s degree in
Air Transport Management at Cranfield University. She can
be contacted at shalinilevens@outlook.com
“…pepper spray is often discovered in
the handbags of women travelling from
French Guyana…”
Credit: Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport
Credit: Johan
Adolf Pengel
International
Airport
February/March 2020 Aviation Security International30