The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) yesterday said it would invite airport specialists to assess security at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport following a security breach last week.
Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Yeh Kuang-shi (葉匡時) said both Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Corp and the Taoyuan International Airport Services were at fault for failing to comply with standard operating procedures.
The security of the nation’s largest international airport came into question after a 48-year-old woman was able to sneak into the airport’s restricted area, drive a ladder truck used by the ground crew on the taxiway and eventually board an aircraft owned by China Airlines on Thursday.
She was found sleeping in the on-board cabin crew lounge on the aircraft.
The ministry has asked all the parties involved in the security breach to review their operating procedures, Yeh said, adding that the ministry would make public its decision on punishments for those found responsible as early as this week.
It will also invite international airport experts to help examine security at Taoyuan airport, Yeh said.
The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) held a meeting yesterday morning with representatives from Taoyuan airport and airport services, Aviation Police and China Airlines.
During the three-hour meeting, representatives identified several areas that needed improvement, including barriers surrounding the airport, routine inspection of restricted areas, management of motorized vehicles used by ground crew, jet bridges and aircraft inspection.
The CAA also dispatched officials on Monday night to conduct security checks at Taipei International Airport (Songshan), Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Kaohsiung International Airport without notifying airport staff beforehand, and found a number of security issues.
The CAA said it had asked 18 airports across the nation to inspect restricted areas after last week’s incident to determine whether there are security loopholes.
Aviation Police said some of airports in the outlying islands did not have barriers on all sides of the airport.
Others allowed local residents to ride motorcycles on the runways at night when there were no aircraft.
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