The Airports Council International (ACI) World issued guidelines for operational practices for its members during the disruption caused by COVID-19.
The documents, published April 15, outlined typical measures to implement at major international airports, as suggested by the group’s membership.
As governments and health regulators have imposed some measures to slow the spread of the virus, the impact has been felt particularly hard by the airport industry – now operating at vastly reduced capacity. The operational examples, ACI said, will help airports to learn from their global peers while addressing the impact of COVID-19 in their operations.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on airports around the world,” ACI World Director General Angela Gittens said. “For airport operators, the main aims have been to protect the health and welfare of travelers, staff, and the public, and to reduce the opportunities for further spread of the virus. Airports have had to adapt their practices to respond to the health and safety requirements of dealing with COVID-19 but have also had to reconfigure their operations due to the unprecedented losses in traffic and revenue. The publication is intended to provide a number of options and examples that airports can use, rather than being a best practice, so that they can provide the most appropriate local response to this global crisis.”
Publication topics include adapting management and planning to respond to COVID-19 impacts; managing staff education, wellbeing, and health monitoring; managing passenger procedures including the introduction of temperature screening, health declaration, and cleaning and sanitizing; changing facility management practices including cleaning of staff and public areas such as restaurants; and handling information technology requirements.