Thorough review to fix aviation security "loopholes"

There needs to be a legal corridor to regulate low-altitude air transport.

Discussing the draft Law on Civil Aviation of Vietnam (amended), National Assembly deputies said that the amendment aims to continue institutionalizing the Party's policies, promoting strategic breakthroughs in building synchronous infrastructure, legalizing international treaties and meeting socio -economic development requirements.

National Assembly Deputy Pham Trong Nghia ( Lang Son ) said that the draft law closely followed international provisions and proposed a number of major policies as the backbone.

Specifically, the policy of "research and development of low-altitude air transport", delegates said that this is new content in the draft Law. However, delegates suggested that the Drafting Committee should continue to review some provisions on law application to ensure compliance with the Law on Promulgation of Legal Documents.

According to delegate Pham Trong Nghia, regulations related to the management and operation of drones are popular in agriculture , transportation, logistics, and even in the recent storms, the role of drones has been clearly demonstrated in relief, rescue, and transporting goods to isolated areas.

“According to statistics from countries around the world, low-altitude aviation accounts for 50% of all sectors. In Vietnam, this market is expected to increase, because our country has actually exported drones to foreign countries. Clearly, this is a potential market,” the delegate emphasized, and at the same time suggested that there should be a legal corridor to regulate this low-altitude air transport.

More revolution to encourage private airlines

Appreciating the revolutionary nature of adding new regulations to the draft Law on Civil Aviation of Vietnam (amended), National Assembly member Trinh Xuan An (Dong Nai) suggested that it is necessary to be "more revolutionary" by separating infrastructure expansion and business. The delegate said that, similar to the Railway Law, it aims to create a more open mechanism, not only for national airlines but also to encourage private airlines to invest and develop more strongly, especially in the context of a market of 100 million people, while emphasizing the need to eliminate the gap between the public and private sectors.

National Assembly Member Trinh Xuan An (Dong Nai) — *National Assembly Deputy Trinh Xuan An (Dong Nai) speaks at the discussion. Photo: Ho Long*

Regarding the issue of ensuring safety and security, delegates agreed with having a separate chapter on aviation security. However, in the face of unsafe incidents that have occurred such as the hacking of Vietnam Airlines' information, delegates suggested that it is necessary to review and assess safety gaps carefully and cautiously. In particular, in the issue of ensuring flight safety, it is necessary to clarify the role of agencies, especially the Ministry of National Defense, in environmental management, specifically resolving conflicts about flight directions in Articles 26, 27, 28 related to airport planning and construction.

Regarding the field of Low-altitude Aviation, the delegate said that "low-altitude aviation" is the core of "low-altitude economy", therefore, to take a shortcut, the Drafting Committee should review and design additional provisions on "low-altitude aviation" to encourage the development of low-altitude economy, not only stopping at safety management but also paving the way for new industries such as Drone logistics, rescue, agriculture and tourism, contributing to opening up new economic development space for the country.

Also related to this issue, some delegates also said that the Draft mainly regulates traditional aviation security (screening control, baggage, aircraft), but does not cover cyber security, data attacks, electronic flight operations; There are no specific regulations on passenger data protection, flight operations system security. Accordingly, it is proposed to add a new Chapter or have a separate section on cyber security and data protection in civil aviation activities; at the same time, it is necessary to stipulate the responsibilities of aviation enterprises and flight operations service providers to ensure cyber security standards and comply with the 2018 Law on Cyber Security.

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/ra-soat-ky-luong-de-khac-phuc-lo-hong-an-ninh-hang-khong-10392469.html