Istanbul first airport to achieve top health safety status.

Airports Council International (ACI) World has announced that Istanbul Airport has become the first airport to be accredited through its new Airport Health Accreditation programme.
Time Aerospace thumbnail

 

Image: DFNI Frontier

The programme assesses new health measures and procedures introduced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in accordance with ICAO Council Aviation Recovery Task Force recommendations and in alignment with the joint EASA and ECDC Aviation Health Safety Protocol and ACI EUROPE’s Guidelines for a Healthy Passenger Experience at Airports.
Topics covered by the accreditation include cleaning and disinfection, physical distancing (where feasible and practical), staff protection, physical layout, passenger communications and passenger facilities.
“I am very impressed in how the industry has swiftly adapted to new realities to introduce new protocols based on globally-consistent protocols,” ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira said.
“We congratulate Istanbul for being the first airport to be accredited through our new Airport Health Accreditation program which demonstrates that they are focused on the health and welfare of travelers, staff, and the public. This will be crucial as our industry begins to restart and then prepare to sustain continuing operations, providing to passengers and employees high globally-recognized standards on health and hygiene, which will help to restore public confidence in air travel,” he added.
Kadri Samsunlu, CEO at İGA Airport Operation said: “Aviation is an important industry that is bound to international rules and committed to continuous improvement aimed at maximized passenger experience. We continue our efforts to offer our passengers ‘safe travel at maximum hygiene’ in the new normal. In this process, we first received the Airport Pandemic Certificate from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation of Turkey. Soon after, we have signed the ‘COVID-19 Aviation Health Safety Protocol’ published by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Following this protocol signed by Istanbul Airport as the first airport in Turkey, the measures we have taken have been recognized also by key authorities of aviation industry.
“The accreditation certificate should definitely be considered by all airport operators as proof to demonstrate greater readiness to build passenger confidence and trust,” Samsunlu said. “It is always our top priority to ensure the health and safety of our passengers and employees. Considering that Istanbul Airport is the world’s global hub, the award of the ‘Airport Health Accreditation’ certificate is also proof that our measures are all at international standards.”