DHL leads disaster prep workshop at Bhutan’s airport

by Payload Asia

DHL was the lead trainer at Bhutan’s first ‘Get Airports Ready for Disaster’ or GARD Program, which was successfully completed at Paro International Airport from 27 November to 1 December.

The GARD Program is a global public-private partnership aimed at supporting airports in planning for their role as logistical hubs in the event of natural disasters, as well as integrating the airport’s role in national emergency plans.

The inaugural workshop in Bhutan saw around 50 participants during a 4-day workshop covering both theory and practice, including an assessment of the airport’s maximum processing capacity for goods and passengers.

The participants worked on various topics including identifying potential bottlenecks, and action measures to quickly increase capacity in case of a disaster.

“The GARD program aims to get as many airports as possible in high-risk countries prepared for disaster,” explained Carl Schelfhaut, head of the GoHelp Program for Asia Pacific, DHL.

Paro International Airport, located in a small valley between mountains, is recognised as one of the most perilous and challenging airports in the world, and only 20 pilots are qualified to fly in and out of the airport.

“The location of the airport presents unique challenges and we have worked with the local team in getting them disaster ready. We are encouraged that this workshop will contribute considerably to the country’s efforts to create a robust disaster resilience standard for its airport,” added Schelfhaut.

Established in 2009, GARD aims to echo the demand for airport preparedness and response capacity of transportation hubs in the event of disasters.

The program, launched in more than 60 airports in 29 countries, includes training personnel in handling the influx of goods and people during calamities, assisting authorities of the area in relief operations, and assessing the current state of concerned airports.

The GARD program was made possible with the cooperation between various partners, including the United Nations Development Programme, the World Food Programme, the International Federation of Air Traffic Controller, DHL Group, in-country advocate Department of Air Transport, the Department of Local Governance and Disaster Management, as well as the support of Airports Council International (ACI) Asia Pacific and Middle East.