Istanbul Airport first to achieve ACI Airport Health Accreditation

ACI World and EUROPE have announced Istanbul Airport as the first airport to be accredited through the new Airport Health Accreditation programme.

ACI’s Airport Health Accreditation programme assists airports by assessing new health measures and procedures introduced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in accordance with ICAO Council Aviation Restart Task Force recommendations and in alignment with the joint EASA and ECDC Aviation Health Safety Protocol and ACI EUROPE’s Guidelines for a Healthy Passenger Experience at Airports.

This includes cleaning and disinfection, physical distancing (where feasible and practical), staff protection, physical layout, passenger communications and passenger facilities.

ACI World Director General, Luis Felipe de Oliveira, said: “We congratulate Istanbul for being the first airport to be accredited through our new Airport Health Accreditation programme, which demonstrates that it is focused on the health and welfare of travellers, staff and the public. This will be crucial as our industry begins to restart, providing passengers and employees high globally-recognised standards on health and hygiene, which will help to restore public confidence in air travel.”

Kadri Samsunlu, Chief Executive Officer at İGA Airport Operation, said: “Aviation is an important industry that is bound to international rules and committed to continuous improvement aimed at maximised passenger experience. We continue our efforts to offer our passengers ‘safe travel at maximum hygiene’ in the new normal. The certificate has been awarded by Airports Council International and is really important to make sure that the aviation industry is in the finest possible position to support strong recovery in the near future. Aviation is a very resilient industry and we need to take measures to endure COVID-19 through implementing strict health and safety standards at our facilities and operations.

“The Airport Health Accreditation certificate should definitely be considered by all airport operators as proof to demonstrate greater readiness to build passenger confidence and trust. I must place special emphasis that we will never ever compromise on the hygiene standards we have achieved at Istanbul Airport.”

Olivier Jankovec, Director General of ACI EUROPE, commented: “Recovery from this unprecedented crisis has called for swift and thorough implementation across the entire aviation system of the global standards developed jointly by competent authorities. ACI has worked hand in hand with ICAO, EASA and ECDC to help deliver a blueprint for safe airport operations amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This blueprint, which has served as the basis for ACI EUROPE’s Guidelines for a Healthy Passenger Experience at Airports, is now complemented by a new Airport Health Accreditation programme. It is with great pride we note that the first airport to become accredited is European – reflecting the eager adoption of the new focus on the health-concerned passenger among airports across our region.”