Amidst pandemic, Hyderabad airport wins coveted health accreditation of ACI
By Newsmeter Network Published on 20 Sep 2020 9:05 AM GMT
Hyderabad: The Hyderabad International Airport has achieved the Airport Council International’s (ACI) Airport Health Accreditation (AHA). The accreditation is the outcome of the rigorous assessment of the airport authorities on the alignment of its health measures with the ACI Aviation Business Restart and Recovery guidelines and ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) Council Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART) recommendations, along with industry best practices. Hyderabad is among the first airports in the Asia Pacific region to have received this coveted accreditation.
The AHA programme was launched by ACI in July 2020, to assess the new health measures and procedures adopted by airports in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. In accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) Council Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART) recommendations, the programme assesses procedures like cleaning and disinfection, physical distancing, staff protection, physical layout, passenger communications and passenger facilities. These CART guidelines are very well aligned with the ACI Aviation Business Restart and Recovery guidelines.
The ACI assessment covered the health and safety measures undertaken by the Hyderabad International Airport for passengers and staff in all the terminal areas, including departures, arrivals and transfers, transportation services, food and beverage services, escalators and elevators, lounges, facilities, baggage claim area, etc. The assessment also captured the initiatives that the airport took for the safety and well-being of employees and stakeholders.
The airport is steadily seeing an increase in passenger traffic. In August 2020, the airport has handled, on an average, over 16,000 domestic passengers and over 170 domestic air traffic movements daily, amidst the safety standards and contactless travel options.
The Hyderabad International Airport has regained its 50 domestic destinations (till August 31) out of the 55 pre-Covid destinations. The top five destinations in terms of passenger footfall include – Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Mumbai.
