ACI issues airport restart, recovery guidance

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Airports Council International (ACI) World released Wednesday new airport industry guidelines outlining best practice examples and guidance for initial phases of restart and long term recovery.

“COVID-19 has been an unprecedented global challenge, particularly to the aviation industry, with the quick spread of the virus resulting in governments rapidly restricting travel and closing borders to limit the spread,” ACI World Director General Angela Gittens said. “This has had a drastic and detrimental effect on airports worldwide, and a variety of new measures could become a necessity at airports as the industry restarts.”

Aviation Operations during COVID-19 – Business Restart and Recovery builds on principles providing guidance on all aspects of airport management and operation as a means of enabling the restart of operations while maintaining staff and traveler
confidence.

The document contains key principles to implement practical, efficient, and workable health-related and operational measures, maintaining measures should be supported by medical evidence, risk-based and outcome-driven and blanket on-airport health screening should be avoided.

“For airports, the focus is to protect the health and welfare of travelers, staff and the public, to minimize the opportunities for dissemination of disease while maintaining efficient operations,” Gittens said. The publication is envisioned as a living document with chapters added or amended as additional information becomes available.