A Cooperation Agreement is signed by ACI EUROPE and EASA

Olivier Jankovec, Director General of ACI EUROPE, and Patrick Ky, Executive Director of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), have signed an agreement supporting the on-going safe and secure recovery of aviation following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Cooperation Agreement for the implementation of the joint EASA/ECDC COVID-19 Aviation Health Safety Protocol further consolidates this operational guidance to airports and airlines as the European standard and reference to follow.

This agreement now commits the European airport trade body to coordinate the on-going engagement of EASA with the European airport community. 

Specifically, the Cooperation Agreement establishes a monitoring model in order to improve the protocol in light of further developments.

Along with the signature of the cooperation agreement, ACI EUROPE also published its Guidelines for a Healthy Passenger Experience at Airports. 

Jankovec said: “Working hand in hand with regulators and industry stakeholders is key to a safe and effective recovery of aviation. This is what airports have been committed to throughout this crisis and the cooperation agreement we have signed with EASA is another reflection of that.”

He added: “There is no doubt that the Aviation Health Safety Protocol developed by EASA and ECDC has been instrumental in restarting aviation. This is indeed the standard that Europe’s airports are following. The ACI EUROPE Guidelines we are releasing are built upon this protocol. They complement it by providing airports concrete advice and solutions to adapt to the new normal in operations and customer service. In doing so, our guidelines take stock of a new category of passengers – the health-concerned passenger – and also look at how we can harness technological developments and digitisation. The priority and focus are clear: This is about delivering a safe end-to-end journey unrivalled in any other transport mode.”

Ky said: “We welcome the leadership shown by ACI EUROPE in its agreement to the EASA/ECDC Aviation Health Safety Protocol and developing further practical implementation advice for their members. Effective implementation and consistent application of the protocol in Europe and beyond is fundamental to the restoration of customer confidence in the aviation industry after the collapse in passenger traffic as a result of the pandemic.”