Hong Kong Airport cleans up

Hong Kong Airport's Terminal 1 in busier times.

Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) has become one of the first airports in the region to be accredited under a new global health and hygiene programme.

The Airport Health Accreditation (AHA) programme of the Airports Council International (ACI) was launched earlier this year to support airports around the world as they introduce new hygiene measures in the wake of the pandemic. It reveals how an airport’s health protocols measure up against various industry guidelines and best practices.

Areas assessed include cleaning and disinfection, social distancing, staff protection, physical layout, passenger communications and passenger facilities. The programme was launched in July and accreditation is valid for 12 months.

According to Luis Felipe de Oliveira, director general, ACI World, the programme is designed to help reassure the travelling public that airport facilities remain safe. “We feel confident that Airport Authority Hong Kong’s efforts will help us succeed in achieving this common goal,” he said.

Over the past months, Airport Authority Hong Kong has implemented a raft of health measures. They included introducing the latest disinfection technologies such as antimicrobial coating and autonomous cleaning robots, introducing compulsory mask-wearing, carrying out temperature screening for everyone entering the terminal and installing more than 400 hand sanitisers in the passenger terminals, installing protective screens at airline check-in and service counters, segregating departing and transiting passengers, collaborating with catering outlets to provide self service kiosks to reduce staff and customer contact and providing personal protective equipment for frontline staff.

“We are honoured to be one of the first airports in Asia Pacific to receive the accreditation,” said Vivian Cheung, executive director, Airport Operations of the Airport Authority Hong Kong.