Nice Côte d’Azur has become one of the first seven European airports to sign the COVID-19 charter drawn up by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
All signatories have promised to work with their national authorities to establish measures to support helath safety and report back on their experiences to help other organisations implement the same measures.
The airport unveiled its programme of health safety measures at the beginning of May, which include a robot that emits UVC rays into the atmosphere inside the airport. The health safety measures recommended by the Charter will complement those already in place at the airport and will be extended by a feedback process implemented by the airport.
Nice Côte d’Azur intends to actively pursue two objectives. First the implementation of better solutions to protect the health of passengers, crew members and employees at the airport. Then, to contribute a new definition of the health standards in European airports.
“Over the last few weeks, we have taken the initiative to put in place numerous measures intended to protect the health of everyone in our terminals, by practicising social distancing, disinfecting surfaces , for example with a UVC-emitting robot, or by treating the ambient air,” said Isabelle Baumelle, Director of Operations and Airline Development at Nice Côte d’Azur Airport. “But it is important for us to join a European programme in order to benefit from feedback and to measure the psychological effects of these measures on passengers. We are convinced that confidence and peace of mind are decisive factors for the resumption of air traffic,” she continued.
Other airports signed up to the Charter include AENA, Athens International Airport, Brussels Airport, Fraport AG, Milan Airport, and Paris CDG Airport. EasyJet, Wizz Air and Aegean Airlines have also signed the charter for their return to normal operations under COVID-19.
