Publish Date : 23-Sep-2013
Sumitomo Corporation, together with NEC Corporation, NEC Networks & System Integration Corporation, Toshiba Corporation, and Morita Corporation, concluded an agreement on September 10 with the Department of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Transport, Republic of the Union of Myanmar on the "Project for Improvement of Nationwide Airport Safety and Security".
This Project is designed to help improve aviation safety at Myanmar's major airports (Yangon, Mandalay, Nyaung U, Heho, Thandwe, and Dawei). To satisfy the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) safety standards, equipment such as Doppler VHF omnidirectional radio range beacons and distance measuring equipment, flight procedure design systems, various aeronautical lights, and communication control units will be supplied to improve air traffic safety; and fire engines, X-ray screening machines, explosive detection devices and other equipment for airport security will be installed as necessary. The Project is expected to enhance Myanmar's airports' capacity to handle the burgeoning air traffic in the region by improving the safety and reliability of air transport and establishing more efficient air routes.
Aviation demand in Myanmar is increasing each year in both the number of passengers and the volume of cargo. It is viewed that the country's aviation sector will most certainly increase in importance as it achieves greater economic development, however the installation of aviation safety facilities and airport security equipment is severely delayed. Many local airports in particular still do not have adequate radio navigation facilities, and aircraft rely on low-precision instruments or visual contact, making it difficult to cope with sudden changes in the weather or other contingencies.
Furthermore, some local airports do not have adequate detection equipment for explosives and many improvements in the inspection procedures are necessary. In view of these circumstances, the government of Myanmar requested to the Japanese government for continued assistance in airport/aviation security and the provision of urgently needed equipment. In response to this request, an exchange of notes took place between the governments of Myanmar and Japan on March 22, 2013, with a grant agreement concluded between the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Myanmar that pledged 1.233 billion yen in Official Development Assistance (ODA).
The Civil Aviation Bureau of Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has also been supporting aviation infrastructure upgrades internationally since 2011 through various meetings and conferences, and they're expected to start up medium- to long-term assistance programs for Myanmar.
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