KLIA and Kuching International Airport Receive Global Health Accreditation

KL International Airport (KLIA)  and Kuching International Airport have successfully achieved the Airport Health Accreditation (AHA) by the Airports Council International (ACI). The safety measures at both airports are benchmarked against global standards in accordance with the ACI Aviation Business Restart and Recovery guidelines and ICAO Council Aviation Recovery Task Force recommendations along with industry best practices. Malaysia Airports’ Turkish asset, Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport had received the same accreditation earlier this year and four more airports in Malaysia are following suit. The four airports i.e. Penang International Airport, Kota Kinabalu International Airport, Langkawi International Airport and Subang Airport are currently being assessed. 

According to group chief executive officer (Group CEO), Dato’ Mohd Shukrie Mohd Salleh, the accreditation is a testament to Malaysia Airports’ continuous commitment to ensure the highest safety levels at its airports. “We remain vigilant in ensuring airport safety so that passengers can continue to travel with peace of mind. We are constantly keeping abreast with new and emerging technology to enhance our safety protocols.  Among the upcoming new features at KLIA this year, for instance, is the implementation of the single token initiative that leverages on facial recognition technology for a contactless passenger journey. This is our contribution towards restoring air travel confidence and futher accelerating its recovery.”

Stefano Baronci, Director General, ACI Asia-Pacific said, “We salute KL International Airport on becoming the first airport in Malaysia to receive the global Airport Health Accreditation. This accreditation will serve as a reassuring reminder to passengers that internationally-recognized safety measures are in place.” 

“Malaysia Airports’ approach for its network of airports to extensively leverage technology, robots and e-commerce will stand them in good stead as travel recovers and resumes,” he added. 

Since the pandemic began, Malaysia Airports has implemented various safety measures including state-of-the art facilities such as infrared thermal scanners, UV handrail sterilisers, counter-top sneeze guards, contactless body screening, physical distancing markers and frequent sanitisation around the terminal.

The AHA programme zeroes in on health measures and procedures practised by the airports such as cleanliness and disinfection, physical distancing, the availability of facilities, staff safety and passenger communications. By being accredited, the airports are able to demonstrate their safety practices in a measurable and an established manner.