In order to renew the AVSEC inspection processes, ASOCEA held a seminar, training and an inspection test.
Air Force Agency – ASOCEA, by Captain Lopez Ramos
he Airspace Control Operational Security Office (ASOCEA), located in Rio de Janeiro (RJ), has begun a new cycle of Civil Aviation Security Inspections against Acts of Unlawful Interference (AVSEC), covering four Air Navigation Service Providers (PSNA) located at Brazilian International Airports: Brasilia, Salvador, Campinas and Guarulhos, in the months of October and November, with a view to preparing the Brazilian state for the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Universal Civil Aviation Security Audit Program (USAP), whose auditors will come to Brazil in September 2024.
In order to renew the AVSEC Inspection processes, ASOCEA previously held a seminar, training and an inspection test, with the participation of its Airspace Control Inspectors (INSPCEA), resulting in the validation of a new AVSEC Protocol. The Inspection Protocols are standardized Checklists, organized by area of the Air Navigation Service, which guide the INSPCEA’s questioning when assessing the inspected Agency’s compliance with the legislation. According to the Head of ASOCEA, Colonel Grei Santana Gonsalves, this is an evolution in the process. “This is a more comprehensive, up-to-date protocol that better meets the requirements of current ICAO audit formalities,” he explains.
The evolution of ASOCEA’s AVSEC processes, in addition to taking into account the recent regulations of the Airspace Control System (SISCEAB) on the subject, incorporates cutting-edge methodologies in quality control, aligned with NBR ISO 9001:2015, as advocated by ICAO’s AVSEC regulations for a State Civil Aviation Safety Oversight System, notably in relation to Critical Element 7, called “Obligations Relating to Quality Control”.
ASOCEA has implemented international quality control processes in its Training, Inspection and Continuous Monitoring activities to assess, ensure and evidence the effective implementation of the AVSEC requirements established in SISCEAB, thus guaranteeing the maintenance of a high level of civil aviation security against acts of unlawful interference in national ANS.
The Airspace Control Operational Security Office is a Military Organization (OM) classified as a Direct and Immediate Assistance Body to the Commander of the Air Force. Created in 2009, one of its aims is to coordinate and control the inspection activities of the Air Navigation Service, with regard to operational safety and civil aviation security against acts of unlawful interference (AVSEC).
Quality Management System
Following an audit by the Instituto de Fomento e Coordenação Industrial (IFI), on November 13 ASOCEA was informed that its ASOCEA Quality Management System Certification, in accordance with NBR ISO 9001:2015, has been maintained.
ASOCEA was audited by IFI to verify and maintain the certification of its Quality Management System (QMS), the scope of which is the “Operational Safety Inspection of Air Navigation Service Providers (PSNA)”, and other Quality Management processes were also audited: Technical Support for Security Guard II, Training and Document Management.
Certification according to the NBR ISO 9001: 2015, has international recognition, since IFI is accredited as a Certification Body by the National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology (INMETRO), which guarantees that the Operational Safety Inspections of the 140 organizations in charge of providing Air Navigation Services and other organizations in the Brazilian Airspace Control System (SISCEAB), carried out by ASOCEA, as a Military Organization directly subordinate to the Commander of the Air Force, have the credibility, reliability and respectability necessary to help Brazil maintain its prominent position in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Photos: ASOCEA *** Translated by DEFCONPress FYI Team ***