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International carrier beefs up security at main airports
2006-05-23 08:52:26
By Joyce Mkinga
An international airline has promised to beef up security at the country’s two main airports in Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro to control loss of customers’ luggage and personal effects.
Ethiopian Airlines said yesterday in Dar es Salaam it will beef up security at Mwalimu Nyerere International Airport and Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA).
The Airline regional manager, Martha Tilahun, said effectively from tomorrow, the international carrier will hire a private security company to beef up Swissport Tanzania Limited’s security arrangements.
The moves comes after the airline customers complained on Sunday their personal effects were ransacked at Mwalimu Nyerere International Airport.
The passengers were on their way from Dubai.
’There will be security guards to monitor handling of passengers’ luggage rights from the offloading point to the point of delivery,’ Tilahum said.
The security of the luggage at the airport is the responsibility of Swissport Tanzania Limited but as Ethiopian Airlines, we are ready to incur extra expenses for security of our clients’ possessions,’ she said.
In the last two months, she noted there has been numerous complains about loss of luggage.
She said the problem was not so big but needed immediate attention.
’Even when only one customer complains of loosing luggage our business is affected adversely,’ she said.
She said the problem is common in other airports worldwide.
’In Tanzania it seems the problem originated at either Kilimanjaro or Mwalim Nyerere international airports,’ she said.
The Ethiopian carrier, whose headquarters is in Addis Ababa, said it had extended consultations with Swissport Tanzania Limited on the issue.
The airline operates in 25 routes in Africa and 40 others worldwide.
’We have never had complaints in other airports except in Tanzania,’ she said.
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