Dubai International achieves ACI Airport Health Accreditation

Credit: Dubai Airports

The efforts of Dubai Airports – operator of Dubai International Airport (DXB), the world’s busiest hub for international passengers – has received recognition in the form of an accreditation in the Airports Council International’s (ACI) Airport Health Accreditation programme, which ensures the health and safety of both passengers and airport workers.

The programme is designed to help to reassure the travelling public about the safety of airport facilities and the precautions that are being taken by airports to reduce any risk to their health. The evaluation process carried out as part of the programme found that the precautionary measures being taken by Dubai Airports to provide a safe airport experience for travellers are in line with the recommended health measures established in the ACI Aviation Business Restart and Recovery guidelines and International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) Council Aviation Recovery Task Force Recommendations, along with industry best practices.

Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, welcomed the certification as an endorsement of DXB’s commitment to health and safety as the key element of its response to the pandemic: “As one of the world’s leading aviation hubs, DXB had a critical role to play in restoring passenger confidence to enable the resumption of international air travel in 2020 and help to kick start the much needed global economic and social recovery. The crucial first step towards achieving those objectives was the implementation of comprehensive measures that demonstrated to our customers that their health and safety are a top priority for Dubai Airports. Our Dubai Airports team and partners have worked tirelessly to implement these measures, and it is rewarding to see our efforts internationally recognised by ACI.”

“Aviation will be a critical driver of the global economic recovery from the impacts of COVID-19. The supportive regulatory landscape in the United Arab Emirates has allowed Dubai International Airport to rebuild operations with globally-recognised standards and protocols in place to ensure the health and safety of passengers and employees. These efforts are now recognised through the accreditation in the ACI Airport Health Accreditation programme and can serve as a blueprint for airports around the world,” said Stefano Baronci, Director General of ACI Asia-Pacific.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Dubai Airports, in cooperation with government health authorities and other airport service partners, has implemented a series of comprehensive measures throughout the facilities at DXB to maintain the health, safety and wellbeing of customers and staff.

These stringent measures include fumigation, as well as periodic deep cleaning of airport facilities; facilitating the testing of inbound passengers and the vaccination of airport staff; thermal and temperature screening; social distancing markers; providing hand sanitiser stations around the airport; use of protective plexiglass at check-in and immigration counters; availability of personal protective equipment (PPE); and facilities for the safe disposal and handling of biohazard material; in addition to increased levels of sanitisation in compliance with international standards as set out by relevant local and federal authorities.

More than four million real-time PCR tests have been conducted at DXB, while 110,000 airport staff – including nearly 80 per cent of Dubai Airports employees – have also been vaccinated at the airport’s vaccination centre.