NE BUSINESS BUREAU
MUMBAI, JAN 18
Three Adani Group-owned domestic airports in Ahmedabad, Lucknow, and Mangaluru have been accredited in the Airports Council International (ACI) Airport Health Accreditation (AHA) programme, a release said on Monday.
The ACI programme enables airports to demonstrate to passengers, staff, regulators, and governments that they are prioritising health and safety in a measurable and established manner.
The ACI assessment covered the health and safety measures undertaken by the airports for passengers and staff in all the terminal areas, transportation and food and beverage (F&B) services, escalators and elevators, lounges, facilities, and baggage claim area among others, Adani Airports said in the release.
Adani Airports is a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises, the flagship company of the Adani Group.
“This accreditation is a significant step in the pursuit of reinvigorating air traffic in the wake of COVID-19 and the ensuing vaccination drive,” said Behnad Zandi, CEO, Adani Airports said.
The accreditation is valid for the next 12 months. The programme is designed to help reassure the travelling public that airport facilities remain safe and that precautions are being taken to reduce health risks, as per the release.
The company won the mandate to modernise and operate six airports – Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Mangaluru, Jaipur, Guwahati, and Thiruvananthapuram – for 50 years through a globally competitive tendering process conducted by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
Of these, it took over the operations of Ahmedabad, Lucknow, and Mangaluru in 2020.
The evaluation process by ACI under the AHA programme is conducted after reviewing evidence presented based on 118 checkpoints.
The global recognition demonstrates extraordinary proactive measures put in place by these airports to ensure passenger safety, Adani Airports said.
The airports have demonstrated a safe travel experience for all travelers which is in line with the recommended health measures established in the ACI Aviation Business Restart and Recovery guidelines and ICAO Council Aviation Recovery Task Force Recommendations, along with industry best practices, it added.
“It (the accreditation) instills trust in health and safety standards practiced at the Lucknow, Ahmedabad, and Mangaluru airports amidst the spread and control of the global pandemic. We remain committed to reinforce our preparedness with global best practices and thus ensure a safe pre and post-flight experience for flyers at the three locations,” Zandi said.
With vaccine distribution underway, gaining the public”s confidence in air travel will be crucial as our industry prepares to restart and sustain continuing operations. The Adani Group airports are paving the way by providing passengers and employees globally-recognised standards on health and hygiene, said Stefano Baronci, Director General, ACI Asia-Pacific.
Adani Airports is also in the process of acquiring majority stakes in the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) with rights to develop the Navi Mumbai International Airport.
The group had in August last year, announced the acquisition of GVK Airport Developers Ltd”s 50.50 percent stake in the MIAL.
Along with this, the group had said it will also buy out a 23.5 percent stake of Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA) and Bidvest Group to get a 74 percent controlling interest in Mumbai airport.
Given its combined capacity Adani Airport would touch more than 75 million passengers per annum, the company said.
