Boryspil International Airport and Culmen International signed a Memorandum of Understanding in the field of airport security
11 September 2023
On September 10, 2023, Oleksiy Dubrevskyy, General Director of Boryspil International Airport and Dan Berkon, Chief Executive Officer of Culmen International under the auspices of the Ministry of Development of Community, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of airport security.
The memorandum provides for cooperation in the field of aviation security and flight safety, which is now the main priority for the airport. Boryspil International Airport has been cooperating within the framework of this Memorandum with Culmen and Center for Adaptive Security and Applications Research (CASRA) since July 1, 2023, when the X-RAY TUTOR 4 (XRT4) training program for the use of CASRA computer simulators was introduced. More than 150 employees of the Aviation Security (AVSEC) Department of Boryspil International Airport have already been trained for more than 1,000 hours and passed testing successfully due to the XRT4 training program. As part of the project, aviation security specialists from other airports of Ukraine are also going to be trained at International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Training Center of Boryspil International Airport.
“Now the relaunch of flights in Ukraine directly depends on the construction of a new security architecture. Cooperation with Culmen International is not just an innovative solution that enables you to create a whole new level of the standardized security system – it is a new level of aviation security and flight safety. Thanks to the cooperation with Culmen and CASRA, airport specialists have already been upgrading their professional level when airspace is closed and there is no opportunity to maintain their skills and experiences during normal operation. We are ready to deepen and expand our cooperation in various directions and we hope for its successful continuation” said Oleksiy Dubrevskyy, General Director of Boryspil International Airport.
This is the first time that Culmen, being a US registered company, and CASRA, a Swiss based institution, have collaborated to provide their experience and resources to Ukrainian specialists. The initiative is aimed at the rapid post-war recovery of the Ukrainian aviation sector, which is vital for growth and recovery for economy of Ukraine.
“I am delighted that Culmen has been able to draw upon our aviation security expertise and experience to help the Government and enterprises of Ukraine at this time. Culmen has a long history of working in, and with, Ukraine and we are proud to partner with CASRA to deliver this new project to help upskill airport staff that will contribute to safe and secure airport operations once airports can be reopened” said Dan Berkon, Culmen’s CEO.
Operating the CASRA computer simulator will enable Ukrainian aviation security specialists to keep pace with current trends in aviation security, maintain and improve their knowledge, skills and abilities to identify dangerous objects and substances prohibited for transportation by air, and thus be prepared to flight relaunching under the highest world standards as soon as it is possible.
“Enabling people and technology for a safe and secure world is CASRA’s motto, thus we are very pleased to being able to assist the Ukrainian Government in cooperation with Culmen International to maintain their airport staff trained, up-to-date, and prepared for the upcoming tasks using XRT4” said Dr. Diana Hardmeier, CASRA’s Director.
Culmen International, LLC, was founded in 2004 and is an international security organization with more than eighteen years of experience in providing exceptional security support worldwide. The main areas of expertise that Culmen operates in include non-proliferation, border and aviation security, security cooperation and international partner capacity building, counter-terrorism and national security, military and federal law enforcement operations, global health, international development and humanitarian missions, resulting in the company operating in more than 140 countries.
The Center for Adaptive Security Research and Applications is leading in security research and applications, in particular regarding human-machine interaction in X-ray screening, socio-technological systems, selection, training, and certification of security screeners. CASRA has more than two decades of experience in providing and developing image interpretation training using computer-based training systems.