The General Manager for Abu Dhabi International Airport has announced new anti-Coronavirus measures have been introduced. They are aimed at protecting employees and passengers and reducing the spread of the virus. It comes as flights from the airport are gradually resumed. Among other things, contactless control equipment will be installed in elevators and self-sanitising escalators have been installed. Social distancing rules must also be complied with and face masks and gloves will have to be worn. Etihad Airways has announced the amended procedures mean security procedures will take five to eight minutes longer. All passengers arriving in Abu Dhabi have to pass through a comprehensive assessment zone to track those exposed to Confirmed coronavirus cases. Passengers will then have to undergo a PCR test which will last for between five and ten minutes. Passengers will start their journey by going through smart sanitising gates at the airport’s main entrances and exits, which will measure a person’s temperature. They will then be sanitised from head to toe via a safe and internationally-accredited smoke-based sanitiser. This will be completed in under three seconds. The alcohol-free sanitising liquid kills 99.9% of viruses and germs, including Coronavirus. Passengers will then use one of 53 contactless controlled lifts and put face masks and gloves on which will be distributed by smart devices. In the fourth phase, passengers will be screened by thermal monitoring cameras which will verify whether they are wearing face masks and gloves and will alert officials if they are not complying with these instructions. In the fifth phase, passengers will reach the airport’s arrival registration area to complete their procedures online. They can also use the Etihad smart application to limit direct contact. In the sixth phase, passengers will arrive at the self-service platform for registration, as part of arrival procedures which were recently adopted. Facial recognition technology will assess their health and safety. This will include their temperature, heart and breathing rates. In the seventh phase, employees of the business class lounge will have to wear personal protection equipment. The lounge’s reception desk will have to have barriers and dividers and tables will be separated by two metres while meals will be tested individually through random testing. In the eight phase, passengers will have to pass through thermal checkpoints. These will be equipped with cameras which will check the temperature of passengers and verify if they are wearing face masks. In the ninth phase, passengers will pass through a free shop. However, passengers will be able to shop on mobile applications or the airport’s website and their orders will be delivered to them before their flight. In the tenth and final phase, passengers will board flights. Only limited numbers of passengers will be able to board at any one time. They will also have to scan their boarding passes and show their passports, to limit direct interactions with employees. Etihad Airways has also announced it has launched a Etihad Wellness Ambassadors. This is the firstt of its kind in the aviation sector. It aims to adopt the highest health and safety standards in all flight stages. Anti-Coronavirus measures are also going to be adopted at the company’s supply facilities and food quality assurance labs. Planes will also be fully sanitised. To ensure social distancing rules are complied with, a space will be left between seats on flights to most destinations but families and groups can sit together. In addition, if a passenger or employee becomes ill during a flight, they will be isolated in a quarantine area with several reserved seats at the back of the plane and the health authorities will be notified before the plane lands. Cabin crew will wear face masks, disposable gloves and accredited preventive clothing and planes will be cleaned after reaching every destination, Health and safety tools, like face masks, gloves and sanitisers will be provided to passengers. The carrier have also developed a Fit to Travel tool, which will check the temperature, heart rate and breathing rate of passengers, ask them about their movements in the last 14 days and require them to declare if they are fit to travel. If the device does not declare whether a passenger is fit to travel, they will be referred to a mid-air medical team for examination. Full story
