The Hong Kong Airport Authority is working with the airport community and the Government to restore confidence in passengers by prioritising public health in the Hong Kong International Airport’s daily operations, even as passenger demand is unlikely to
The HKIA has been accredited under the Airport Health Accreditation (AHA) programme of the Airports Council International (ACI) for the next 12 months, a press release stated.
Launched in July 2020, the AHA programme was established to support the world’s airports introduce new hygiene measures against global standards in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It validates how an airport’s health measures are aligned with the ACI Aviation Business Restart and Recovery guidelines and ICAO Council Aviation Restart Task Force or CART recommendations along with industry best practices.
Luis Felipe de Oliveira, ACI World’s director general, said the AHA programme is designed to help reassure the travelling public that airport facilities remain safe and that precautions are being taken to reduce any risk to their health.
“We are honoured to be one of the first airports in Asia Pacific to receive the accreditation, which recognizes our continued efforts in implementing various health measures to ensure the safety and well–being of the airport staff and passengers. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been working with the airport community and the Government in prioritising public health in the airport’s daily operations. We will continue to strengthen our works and conduct ongoing self-assessment according to the evolving situation of the pandemic, with a view to maintaining the safe and healthy environment and building passengers’ confidence in travelling at HKIA,” said Vivian Cheung, executive director, airport operations of the Hong Kong Airport Authority.
Some of the enhanced health measures implemented at HKIA over the last few months include disinfection channels, antimicrobial coating and autonomous cleaning robots at terminals and installing e-security gates equipped with facial recognition technology.
Passenger traffic for the first eight months was down 83.2 percent from a year ago, HKIA’s August figures showed, as cargo capacity constraints continue due to the lack of belly space.
