This certification marks the first accreditation of its kind from Canada-based ACI. Previously, Istanbul Airport had received the ‘Airport Pandemic Certificate’ given by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation in Turkey on the basis of its tight control measures taken to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. The airport also signed the ‘Covid-19 Aviation Health Safety Protocol’ published by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Istanbul Airport successfully underwent a series of critical audits to meet all requirements and qualify for the ‘Airport Health Accreditation’ certificate. The audits covered evaluation of a wide range of measures taken at passenger-intensive areas including without-limitation cleaning, disinfection, social distancing, protection of personnel, passenger communication, access to terminal, safety screening, waiting areas, bridges, escalators, elevators, and baggage claim.

Kadri Samsunlu, Chief Executive Officer at İGA Airport Operation Inc. (Istanbul Airport), stated: “Considering that [our airport] is the world’s global hub, this certificate is more proof that our measures are all at international standards. In this context, I must place special emphasis that we will never ever compromise on the hygiene standards we have achieved at Istanbul Airport.”

The accreditation comes as a survey shows that half of UK travellers are worried about exposure to Covid-19 at airports. Fifty per cent of British travellers cite exposure to Covid-19 at airports or while in flight as their biggest travel concern, according to new data collected by international travel health platform Air Doctor.

Jenny Derfler, CEO of Air Doctor, said: “While the travel industry is slowly starting to get back on its feet, attitudes to travel have been changed dramatically by Covid-19. The data shows that people are hyper-aware of the possibility of falling ill abroad, so it’s unspurprising that public transport and airports, in particular, are causing concern. These insights are useful to both the travel industry and providers of travel insurance looking for ways to make their customers feel supported and safely boost the appeal of travelling.”