Bosaso airport has been upgraded to the Bosaso International airport in a ceremony
this month led by the President of Somalia and many other special guests including
the Italian ambassador to Somalia. The new airport now meets international
standards and will be able to host a whole range of flights within the region and will
boost trade and investment in the country as a whole.
This article is about my personal experience arriving in Bosaso international airport via Hargeisa.
The last time I came to Bosaso was 11 years prior when the airport was just a one room brick
building coupled with a gravel runway.
Suffice it to say that Bosaso has made leaps and bounds in regards to upgrading the airport to meet international standards. The photo above speaks for itself, the watchtower alone is impressive in itself.
When I landed on the windy runway we were put onto a bus which took us directly to the arrivals
terminal to check in with immigration/customs while our bags were being offloaded. All in all it was
a professional experience between the airplane itself and dealing with customs. The airport staff
took our photos, entry visa payments and all associated documentation. Where the experience
started to deteriorate was when we were let through to the baggage claim.
The problem starts with the actual customs security and the airport security itself. We were waiting
to collect our bags when we were asked to open them up to be examined which is fine itself as the
airport did not yet have scanners to check the contents for illegal goods or weapons. The problem
lay in the fact that upon insisting that we were in a rush a few of the passengers did not have their
bags checked as long as they pay a small fee ($5 US dollars), call it a bribe if you will; nobody batted
an eye lid.
If that were the only problem it would have been ok. My.Wife had been waiting in the next room
over but was not allowed to pass through to the baggage area according to two armed security
guards. However when 2 ladies insisted to be let through they were allowed as they were known to
the security guards and deemed not a threat and allowed to proceed.
In my view this can have all sorts of security implications ie. Passing off of illegal items before bags
are checked, potential harm caused to passengers, adding to the confusion in general. There should
be more consistency in regards to who may or may not be let through past the waiting area, the
checking of all bags as well as cameras recording all activities as to which I noticed there were none.
Apart from my qualms with the airport security the overall experience was a much better one
compared to the old airport. This is a huge step forward for the commercial capital of Puntland, and
hopefully we will see things get even better as they learn from their mistakes. More good news is
that the airport administration has hired a new head of security after I arrived, a well-known figure
who will potentially do a better job than current. I look forward to passing through the airport again
in the future.
Written by:
Mohamed S Foore “Awl”
Bosaso, Somalia.
