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6 June 2012 | By Arun Rao, former Chief of Aerodromes, Air Routes and Ground Aids, ICAO
The growth of air traffic movements to meet the demands of the travelling public has led to the expansion and modernisation of airports to handle a greater number of aircrafts of different sizes and capacities. Airports have been competing amongst themselves to be the best, to succeed in attracting and…
1 June 2012 | By Norman Shanks, Professor in Aviation Security, Coventry University
One of the universal truths about modern air travel is that nobody likes the passenger pre-board screening process. Whilst pass - engers questioned immediately after a successful or foiled terrorist attack will readily say that they accept the pre-board screening process as it is there to ensure their safety, opinion…
29 March 2012 | By Chris McLaughlin, Assistant Administrator for Security Operations at the Transport Security Administration
Over the past year, the Transpor - tation Security Administration (TSA) has made great strides to implement smarter, intelligencedriven, and more efficient screening procedures at airport checkpoints around the country. The agency is moving away from a one-size-fits-all security model to an approach built on mitigating risk. These strategic enhancements…
7 February 2012 | By Marie Carru, General Delegate of Proavia
For more than 35 years, the French industrialists have developed systems and equipment to match the worldwide evolution of airports and air traffic controller’s operational needs. In the 1970s and 1980s the main focus of the aviation sector was to increase air navigation safety. In the last 20 years French…
8 December 2011 | By Stefano Dolci, Head of BHS Management, SEA - Milan Airports
The handling of baggage is a very important activity within an airport. One of the main concerns of passengers (and carriers) is to be able to find their baggage on arrival. For this reason the mishandled baggage rate (that is baggage not loaded into the correct plane and shipped afterwards…
5 October 2011 | By Yves Duguay, Senior Vice-President, Operations and Customer Experience, Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA)
The next time you pass through security at a major Canadian airport, you may find the queues moving a little faster than usual. That’s because the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) is making a number of innovative improvements to the security screening process for a better passenger experience. The…
8 August 2011 | By Brodie Clark, Head of the UK Border Force at the UK Border Agency
More than 100 million passengers and billions of pounds worth of freight enter the UK through airports each year. Airports are the largest entry point for traffic into the UK and the UK Border Agency is the first point of contact through the border force. Formed in 2008, the UK…
8 August 2011 | By Ashley Smith, Chairman of the British Security Industry Association’s (BSIA) Civil Aviation Section
Since the devastating terrorist attacks of 9/11, the threat of further atrocities has been at the forefront of the national agenda. Almost 10 years on and the security landscape has changed dramatically, with these changes most apparent in the aviation sector. Moreover, the recent announcement of the death of Osama…
10 June 2011 | By Jim Marriott, Chief of Aviation Security at ICAO
The Declaration on Aviation Security adopted unanimously by the 37th Session of the ICAO Assembly last year set the stage for continuing improvements in how threats to the security of aircraft and facilities worldwide will be dealt with in the future. The catalyst was the attempted bombing of a commercial…
11 April 2011 | By Robin Kane, Chief Technology Officer and Assistant Administrator, Office of Security Technology at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is dedicated to protecting our Nation’s transportation systems and safeguarding the travelling public. We face an adaptive adversary who seeks vulnerabilities in our system and, as a result, TSA must employ new methods to stay ahead of evolving threats. Security technologies, such as Advanced Imaging…
26 January 2011 | By Geoff Leach, Manager of the Dangerous Goods office at the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)
11 May 1996. After a delay caused by a mechanical problem Valujet flight 592, a Douglas DC-9-32 with 105 passengers and five crew onboard pushes back from the gate at Miami International Airport for departure to Atlanta. Twenty minutes later, after taxiing to runway 9 Left, the aircraft is airborne…
26 January 2011 | By Uwe Karl, Head of Building Technology at Siemens (Airport Solutions)
Security has become an ever increasing feature of our daily lives and nowhere is this more readily apparent than in the airport. For the majority of passengers, the most overt indicator is the queue at the security checkpoint as more rigorous checks on passengers and their luggage cause bottlenecks. While…
26 January 2011 | By Phil McLachlan, MD QinetiQ Airport Technologies
National headlines for the aviation industry in December 2010 were mostly about snow, closed airports and angry passengers. But amidst the acres of newsprint on the weather and stranded travellers was a court ruling that could actually have much greater implications for the future of the industry and for air…
13 December 2010 | By Oslo Airport
Oslo Airport (OSL) is Norway’s main airport located at Gardermoen in the municipality of Ullensaker, approximately 47 kilometres north of Oslo. The airport serviced 18.1 million passengers in 2009 and has been named Europe’s most punctual airport four times by the AEA (Association of European Airlines). The airport has a…
13 December 2010 | By Drew Hillier, Freelance Writer
In the wake of the latest series of terrorist bomb plots, the enhancement of air cargo security has pushed itself firmly into the spotlight. Yet, as Drew Hillier reports, in the UK, for example, where 60% of air freight is carried in passenger airlines, (the remainder being handled by specialist…
Chief Executive Officer
Delhi International Airport Limited
Videh Kumar Jaipuriar has been nominated for his exemplary leadership in managing and navigating Delhi International Airport (DEL) during the COVID-19 pandemic. He led multiple initiatives to ensure business continuity at DEL, which included passenger safety and convenience, stakeholder management, cash conservation, adoption of new technologies, and care for environment and employee safety.
He proactively engaged with the government stakeholders and supported them in safeguarding aviation through strong confidence building measures for travellers, such as developing several indigenous technology solutions like air circulation with six changes per hour and a combination of UV and plasma disinfection systems to provide safest journey experience to their passengers. Under his leadership, DEL has been forefront of implementing safety measures which was later adopted across the country.
Despite lockdown, Jaipuriar ensured that DEL was operational for rescue missions, medical evacuations, and transporting medical essentials to various parts of the country. He further led the Vande Bharat Mission flights of Government of India (a rescue mission to get Indians back to India), as well as rescue flights by other international governments. His outstanding leadership across all areas across the stakeholders in the aviation ecosystem and going beyond the call of duty in managing and navigating this crisis for a national capital airport having national importance makes him the apt choice for the Person of the Year Award.
CEO
Hajj and Umrah Airport – Jeddah – KSA
Adnan Saggaf continues to demonstrate strong leadership skills throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and brought out of the box ideas in attracting traffic and to support his team during this difficult time. With new innovative ideas in balancing cash flow, the facilities were kept maintained and the personal were kept employed.
Saggaf has protected the financial stability of his staff income, ensured valuable cost cutting management, shown excellent performance of crisis management, and exceptional negotiation skills shown with authority regarding agreement restructuring and receivable payments.
To handle the loss of Umrah traffic to the airport, Saggaf chose to attract new airlines, mainly LCCs, to use the terminal with attractive offers and more reliable services. He built a new strategy by diversifying the airport offers. He prepared the facilities by deploying new technology and working on enhancing passenger experience. Saggaf also initiated a capacity building programme for the airside team by drafting SOPS, training and coaching, as well as initiating dedicated workshops to discuss ideas and to deploy new initiatives.
Leaders show strength in difficult times, and this is exactly what Saggaf showed and why he deserves to be awarded as the Person of the year 2021.
Chief Operating Officer
Sangster International Airport Jamaica
Peter has been with the Sangster International Airport for over 25 years.
He has experience in customer service, operations and now oversees the security function and is also the Chief Operations Officer.
Peter has been instrumental in co-ordinating the preparation and implementation of a COVID-19 response plan for not just MBJ, but to guide the operation of all agencies operating on airport. The aim of this plan was to ensure a safe environment for staff and the travelling public; therefore, this plan was instrumental to establish consumer/travellers/public confidence and provided information and guidelines on the new protocols implemented at the airport.
Peter is well known for his expertise in investigation and aviation security. His co-operation with law enforcement stakeholders has been unrelenting in assuring the security of the airport and stakeholders alike.
While Peter is known as a firm individual that displays the outmost professionalism and integrity, he operates on the basis of equity and fairness in all matters relating to staff, clients, passengers and the general public.
Head of Operations, Safety and Emergency
Belo Horizonte International Airport
Robson Freitas has developed and led the BH Airport plan for the resumption of airport operations post-COVID-19, as well as being responsible for leading the group of Directors and Managers at the airport, defining the three main pillars of recovery: Health and Safety of People, Institutional and Integrated Communication and Institutional Partners. These central pillars include ensuring hygiene and health and social distances measures for passengers, users, and the airport community, in addition to participating in strategic committees involving the public sectors to comply with regulatory rules. Freitas developed the COVID guardians programme, who were responsible in monitoring and following up on the measures already implemented for COVID-19 and advising users, employees and other people on compliance with distancing, hygiene and health measures recommended by health authorities. He also developed a COVID booklet with information and guidance for the airport community regarding good hygiene and health practices and led the beginning of the publication of a monthly newsletter with passenger curve information, allowing the planning of reopening and rehiring by commercial stores. Freitas also supported the reduction of OPEX by planning the temporary closure of areas, toilets and equipment in common use and internalising some activities.
Chief Strategy Development Officer
Bangalore International Airport Limited
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Raghunath worked closely with all the aero concessionaires and cargo operators to minimise disruption and provide financial relief to them. The airline marketing team helped launch a historic first route to the U.S. West Coast and the cargo team at BIAL also achieved record numbers over this period, with the airport becoming India’s leading airport for the export of perishables. Despite the impact of COVID-19, Raghunath has led a digital transformation and expansion at BIAL airport, with new initiatives and the deployment of the fully biometric-based self-boarding solution for seamless passenger flow and travel experiences and a process automation and analytics platform. These initiatives amongst many others, meant that the airport won ACI World’s ‘Voice of the Customer’ initiative, which recognised BIAL airports efforts to prioritise their customers during COVID-19. Raghunath has remained a staunch and resilient leader during such an uncertain time and is very much appreciated by his team.
Head of Operations
Cairns Airport
As Head of Operations, Alicia Prince has played a critical role in leading and navigating Cairns Airport through the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, Prince implemented a functional plan to ensure business continuity and staff welfare, segregating front-line operational staff into work teams to avoid interaction between groups, as well as strict sanitisation processes. She ensured that the $55 million domestic Terminal upgrade continued safely despite the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis.
She also deployed the COVIDSafe Operation Plan for Cairns Airport, which was endorsed and later commended by Queensland Chief Health Officer. As part of this plan Alicia developed an airport layout to provide physical separation of low risk and high-risk arrivals and initiated increased hygiene and sanitisation protocols. The health and safety of the airport community was paramount to maintaining operations, and in response to this Alicia initiated a COVIDSafe training program for the entire airport community and worked closely with her team to deliver.
As a result of the great work Prince has done to ensure COVID-19 best practices, Cairns Airport was one of the first Australian Airports to be awarded an ACI Global Health Accreditation.
Alicia also led the terminal optimisation project, which assessed and implemented terminal downscales due to the crisis. Significant savings (both financial and environmental) were achieved by reducing the operational footprint of the airport.
Whilst maintaining operations throughout the pandemic was a priority, Alicia ensured her team were kept well informed and engaged. Cairns Airport has a team of 33 volunteers which form part of Alicia’s wider team. To ensure they remained connected and cared for, Alicia and her team created care packages including home-made cakes and personally delivered to each of the volunteers’ houses in a COVIDSafe manner. Alicia demonstrated great leadership throughout the pandemic and continues to do so today. Her clear and transparent communication and collaboration with other Australian Airports and key agencies to ensure best practice and alignment contributed greatly to business continuity. Furthermore, all the above was managed whilst working remotely and juggling home schooling with her two young boys.
Airport General Manager
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Balram Bheodari leads Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as North America’s most efficient airport, due to his vast knowledge of and astute attention to efficiency in aviation, which has allowed the airport to thrive in the most difficult of markets. Bheodari combines operational expertise, integrity, and selflessness to provide a quality of leadership throughout Atlanta Airport. He oversees all facets of airport governance, including operations and a multi-billion-dollar capital improvement programme, ATLNext, designed to pave the way for Atlanta’s growth over the next 20 years. During COVID-19, Bheodari developed a comprehensive resumption of operations playbook that served to support ATL’s recovery efforts. With guidance from the Federal Aviation Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) amid evolving health and safety guidelines, Bheodari steadfastly encouraged collaboration among stakeholders, team-building among aviation employees, and adaptability in uncertain times. Throughout the pandemic, he participated in daily calls with Airports Council International and other large-hub airports to share best practices as well as information from Washington, D.C. federal offices and the CDC.
He aimed to restore customer confidence and ensure the airport was a healthy facility using COVID-19 safe protocols. Since, the airport achieved Airport of the Year by the Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC).
During the height of the pandemic, Bheodari was the most ardent supporter of our mission-critical employees. Having worked his way up through the ranks, he fully appreciates the oftentimes thankless jobs these employees perform that keep the Airport safe and running optimally at all times. Morale never flagged because Bheodari made sure those employees felt valued through hazard pay, special meals, social media posts, intranet spotlight features, and other incentives.
His actions and his directives all reflect his commitment to the three key focus areas of our organisation’s strategic plan: people, purpose and performance.
CEO
Swedavia Airports
Jonas Abrahamsson has shown the strength to steer the company towards its long-term sustainable goals, despite the challenges of COVID-19. Abrahamsson has ensured that Swedavia achieved its net zero target for all ten of the airports in 2020 and has continued to support strategic development and innovation to further the cause of sustainable air travel. During 2020, when passenger numbers where down over 90 per cent and a lot of investments were paused, he decided that investments in the company’s net zero target should proceed, allowing Swedavia to become the first net zero airport group by the end of 2020.
Chief Executive Officer
Budapest Airport
Chris Dinsdale has worked at Budapest Airport since 2015, originally as CFO until March 2021, where he was nominated for the position as CEO. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dinsdale, as CFO of the airport at the time, fought relentlessly to make sure that the company survived the crisis and worked with great commitment to secure the funding of the airport. For example, a voluntary salary cut for the executives and the founding of the Budapest Airport Foundation, which supports blue collar workers who lost their job during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After being nominated to CEO position in March 2021, Dinsdale continues to work closely with the executive team to create a clear COVID-19 recovery strategy for Budapest Airport. This will also mean that we come out stronger of the pandemic and have a clear focus. Dinsdale is an inspiring true leader who helped us all to cope with the very difficult times of the pandemic and I am convinced that he truly deserves this award.
