Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has announced its intention to terminate the services of Aviation Coordination Services (ACS), the third-party operator responsible for hold baggage screening at O.R. Tambo International Airport.

This comes after a passenger passed through security at O.R. Tambo International Airport carrying two training hand grenades in their checked baggage, which were only discovered upon arrival at Bole International Airport in Ethiopia.

In a statement issued to the media on Thursday, ACSA confirmed that it "was formally notified of the incident by Ethiopian Airlines, in line with international aviation protocols, after the items were detected during reverse baggage screening upon arrival".

"In accordance with national regulatory procedures, ACSA subsequently reported the matter to the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA"

ACSA confirmed that the breach occurred in the Hold Baggage Screening area managed by Aviation Coordination Services (ACS), and announced they have made the decision to terminate ACS's services on the grounds that ACS has no legal basis or contract to carry out HBS services.

"ACSA made the decision to terminate ACS's services on the grounds that ACS has no legal basis or contract to carry out HBS services. Moreover, ACS is operating contrary to public procurement legislation.

"Notwithstanding these legal issues, ACS is responsible for this lapse in security and has also accepted liability for the incident. Further, ACS instituted disciplinary proceedings against the employee responsible for the security breach.

*This article was first published by IOL News