Dublin Airport’s COVID-19 safety measures endorsed by global health accreditation programme

Dublin Airport ‘s efforts to ensure the safety of its passengers and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic have been formally recognised by ACI World’s Airport Health Accreditation programme.

The airport health accreditation programme provides airports with an independent assessment of the new health measures and procedures that have been introduced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also measures an airport’s compliance with new industry standards in relation to health safety.

“After reviewing the evidence presented through our evaluation process, Dublin Airport has shown that it is providing a safe airport experience for all travellers,” said ACI World director general Luis Felipe de Oliveira.

“Dublin Airport is operating in line with the recommended health measures established in the ACI Aviation Business Restart and Recovery guidelines and ICAO Council Aviation Recovery Task Force Recommendations, along with industry best practice.”

ACI Europe’s director general, Olivier Jankovec, said: “Dublin Airport has a long history of putting the customer at the heart of what it does and the entire team at Dublin has been hugely focused on protecting the health and safety of passengers during the pandemic.

“This accreditation shows that the processes and systems that Dublin Airport has put in place are world-class and fully aligned with best practice in our sector. As a result of their hard work and dedication, passengers can confidently enjoy their journeys in a safe environment.”

The Irish gateway notes that it has introduced a wide range of new measures to protect the wellbeing and safety of all passengers and staff in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

These include installing more than 1,000 hand sanitisers throughout the airport, and more than 700 plexiglass screens are in place at close contact points throughout the airport.

About 12,000 separate pieces of COVID-19 related signage are in place to assist and inform passengers, and there are also regular announcements on the airport’s public address system to remind passengers of social distancing guidelines.

It is also quick to point out that its cleaning processes have been significantly enhanced to reflect COVID-19.

As a result, all key contact surfaces such as security trays, self-service kiosks, escalator handrails, and trolleys are now undergoing enhanced cleaning, with a specific focus on any areas where passengers dwell.

Modern electrostatic disinfection techniques are being used in many key areas. According to the airport, “this electrostatic cleaning uses a special spray which is electrically charged, and this enables the sanitisers and disinfectants in the spray to wrap around and evenly coat all types of surfaces for a much more complete and longer-lasting clean”.

Dublin Airport’s managing director, Vincent Harrison, believes that the ACI accreditation is “a significant validation” of the work that the airport has undertaken in the area of health and safety in recent months.

“The safety of our passengers, our employees and the staff of all the other companies that operate on the campus is always Dublin Airport’s main priority,” he noted

“We introduced our safety measure based on a comprehensive series of risk assessments and the new international guidelines, and it is very pleasing that the efforts of the entire Dublin Airport team have been recognised in this manner.”

Areas that were considered within the accreditation process included cleaning and disinfection, physical distancing, passenger communications and passenger facilities, staff protection, and the physical layout of the airport.