‘Airports Should Serve As Lifelines For Quick Humanitarian Service’

The World Director General of Airports Council International (ACI), Angela Gittens, says airports are supposed to serve as lifelines for humanitarian aids in the event of disaster.
Gittens in a statement made available to aviation correspondents last Wednesday, noted that airports served as lifelines for emergencies, including the handling of goods, aid workers and evacuees.
“It is important that airports around the world include disaster relief in the situations covered in their Emergency Rescue and Business Continuity Plans, according to an assessment of the risk of different types of disasters occurring in the area of airport”,  she said.
The ACI director also stressed the need to encourage airports to plan their roles in the recovery of a disaster affected area and to work with governmental agencies and other relevant entities.
She said that airports were well positioned to provide support through additional capacity such as the ability to handle larger aircraft, overflow areas for aircraft parking, storage space for goods, security measures, personnel, equipment and logistics capability.
Gittens recalled that ACI had pledged at a summit held in Hong Kong, China in April to encourage airports all over the world to effectively draw up plans for productive role in recovery operations.

Corlins Walter