Monique Hepburn, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
DEPARTING AIRLINE passengers will soon face outbound immigration checks at Sangster International Airport, Montego Bay, as steps to increase security there are tightened in an effort to thwart terrorist attacks. Curtis Grad, vice-president of operations at MBJ Airports Ltd., operators of the airport, made the announcement yesterday at a forum at the Wexford Court Hotel, Montego Bay, St. James.
Mr. Grad explained that since the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001, the authorities there were keen on knowing who was entering that country.
"Outbound immigration checks have been a required security feature since 9/11. Everything we do is predicated on good security," he said. "We are selling safe travel as a product but also making it convenient as well."
He said the timeline for the new immigration provisions had been set for May 1 but has since been rescheduled for the end of July. The date will coincide with the completion of renovations, which will see the installation of four double immigration kiosks and machine-readable systems for passports and visas, as well as X-ray machines.
"We have asked them (the Immigration Department) to do full training but not in the peak hours," Mr. Grad said, while noting that 90 per cent of the physical installation was already complete. "We will be pressuring them to fully staff the X-ray areas."
He commented that MBJ was aiming to achieve full inbound/outbound passenger separation by January 2006 as an additional security measure.
