ACI increases safety at airports worldwide

Airports Council International, The Voice of the World’s Airports, is pleased to announce that it conducted an Airport Excellence (APEX) Safety Review of Romania’s Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport (OTP) and Bucharest Băneasa Aurel Vlaicu International Airport (BBU). OTP and BBU will now proceed to the follow-up and assistance phase of the APEX in Safety Programme whereby specific solutions that were developed in response to safety issues are presented to the airports.

APEX assists airports in their efforts to improve their safety performance, to implement safety management systems, and establish indicators and tools for the reduction of safety incidents. In addition, APEX increases the level of compliance with applicable standards and fosters the sharing of best safety practices amongst the airport community.

Ovidiu Traichioiu, Airports Director, Romanian Civil Aeronautical Authority stated, “I would like to reaffirm the full support of the Romanian Civil Aeronautical Authority for ACI’s APEX in Safety Programme. After Cluj-Napoca International Airport, the first airport in Europe evaluated by ACI, I am pleased to see now that other two Romanian airports: Bucharest Henri Coanda and Bucharest Baneasa are being evaluated by ACI through the APEX in Safety Programme. It is my strongest belief that this type of assessment is extremely beneficial for all airports for a safer operation; therefore we encourage every airport in our country to participate in the Programme. Romanian CAA pays a special attention to the constant improvement of the aviation safety level, an aspect which has been fully demonstrated recently by the results of an ICAO Coordinated Validation Mission, in October 2012, which place Romania in a leading position both in Europe and among ICAO Member States. We are honored by the high level of participation of ICAO in this safety review team, namely Mr Mohamed Elamiri, Deputy Director of the ICAO Air Navigation Bureau and appreciate the professionalism proven by the ACI team of experts.”

According to Cornel Poterasu, Director General, Bucharest Airports National Company (CNAB), “Aviation safety is a fundamental objective and a strategic priority for Bucharest Airports National Company. We are doing everything to best manage the complex challenges in the aviation safety area, by involving all our personnel and ensuring the optimum performance in safety, which is a key-area for the CNAB management. I am confident that the ACI APEX Safety Review, performed in partnership with ICAO, will help improve safety at both our airports [Otopeni and Baneasa, nr], and this expertise will represent a significant benefit, by helping us further improve, acquire know-how, and optimize our activity.”

According to Angela Gittens, ACI World Director General, “The APEX in Safety Team, in collaboration with the International Civil Aviation Organization and safety partners from airports worldwide, travel the world to help airports identify and remedy safety vulnerabilities. We are grateful for the professionalism and engagement by safety experts such as those at the Dublin Airport Authority who contributed their time and wisdom to help other members of the worldwide airport community. This is the real strength of airports—our willingness and ability to help one another for the benefit of the travelling public. Through the generosity of its members, ACI is also able to provide training and technical assistance to help airports implement the recommendations of the Peer Review Team. The Programme is based on the Standards and Recommended Practices of the International Civil Aviation’s (ICAO) Annex 14 and the Team also shares best practice solutions for the specific challenges that each airport faces. The importance of our work and its valuable outcomes for passenger safety has been appreciated by the international community. The goal of the ACI APEX in Safety programme is the continuous improvement in safety at airports worldwide, in accordance with the principles of the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

APEX Safety Team: Bucharest Băneasa Aurel Vlaicu International Airport (BBU)
Left to right: Juan Manuel Manríquez Viñas, ACI; Adrian Cioranu, ACI; Cristian Alexe, Compania Naţională Aeroporturi Bucureşti; John Pottinger, ACI; Sanne Patijn, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol; Michael Martin, Dublin Airport Authority; Eoin Ryan, Dublin Airport Authority; Radu Bondar, Bucharest Băneasa Aurel Vlaicu International Airport; Gerard Keogh, Dublin Airport Authority; Augustin Badea, Bucharest Băneasa Aurel Vlaicu International Airport.

APEX Safety Team: Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport (OTP)
Left to right: Cristian Alexe, Compania Naţională Aeroporturi Bucureşti; Adrian Cioranu, ACI; John Pottinger, ACI; Kevin Cleary, Dublin Airport Authority; Damian Lenagh, Dublin Airport Authority; Kevin O’Driscoll, Dublin Airport Authority.

ACI Director General, Angela Gittens, congratulates and thanks the APEX in Safety Teams at OTP and BBU

Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport (OTP)

Compania Naţională Aeroporturi Bucureşti

Cornel Constantin Poteraşu
Gabriel Ţară
Cristian Alexe

Dublin Airport Authority

Gerard Keogh
Eoin Ryan
Kevin O’Driscoll
Damian Lenagh
Kevin Cleary

International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)

Mohamed Elamiri

Airports Council International

John Pottinger
Adrian Cioranu

Bucharest Băneasa Aurel Vlaicu International Airport (BBU)

Compania Naţională Aeroporturi Bucureşti

Cornel Constantin Poteraşu
Gabriel Ţară
Cristian Alexe

Dublin Airport Authority

Gerard Keogh
Eoin Ryan
Michael Martin

Amsterdam Airport Schipol

Sanne Patijin

Airports Council International

John Pottinger
Adrian Cioranu
Juan Manuel Manríquez Viñas

2013 Safety Reviews

Upcoming Safety Reviews include:

• Aéroport internationale de Nouakchott (Mauritania)
• Chennai International Airport (India)
• Guwāhāti International Airport (India)
• Imam Khomeini International Airport (Iran)
• Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (India)
• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (India)
• V.C. Bird International Airport (Antigua)

Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC)

In order to support the further development of safer airports worldwide, Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airport Council International (ACI) to partner on APEX in Safety. The MoU was signed on 30th January during the Trinity Forum hosted by ADAC at Yas Marina Circuit Media Center, Abu Dhabi.

About the APEX in Safety Programme

The APEX in Safety programme takes shape in the form of a traditional peer review, whereby airports around the world benefit from, and lend their knowledge and experience to identifying and prioritizing the actions that participating airports can take to reduce risks and improve their responsiveness in the event of an incident. APEX in Safety is built on the ICAO principles of information transparency, in a non-punitive, ‘just culture’ environment, where sharing data and best practices lead to excellence. The expected outcomes of ACI’s APEX in Safety programme include tangible increases in safety and compliance by members in response to specific needs identified by participating airports, with the ultimate goal of reducing the potential for airport safety incidents.

To learn more about APEX in Safety, please visit: www.aci.aero/apex.