Making Airports Safer

Making airports safer

There is no question that the aviation industry has been one of the hardest hits during the global Covid-19 Pandemic. Early travel restrictions, border closures and a high level of uncertainty all contributed to a drop in airport business of up to 30%, according to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

But at the same time, with frequent air travel an integral part of both business and personal life for many, there is very clear evidence that travellers want to get back to travelling ‘normally’ as quickly as possible.

Confidence is the key

Confidence is of course the absolute key factor when it comes to encouraging the travelling public back to airports. In many ways, this is simply an extension of one of the foundations that mass air travel has been built upon. Passenger confidence, at every stage of the journey experience, has been a vital psychological factor for many years.

Bayanat Engineering has played a critical role in providing much of the technological underpinning that delivers the vital feeling of safety and security for passengers, whether through advanced anti-terrorist scanning technology or highly sophisticated Air Traffic Control (ATC) systems that keep schedules running smoothly and safely.

Therefore, it’s entirely natural that the company should now focus some of its technical expertise on helping to address the many issues that Covid-19 presents – a recent example being the body temperature scanning systems featured elsewhere on this site.

Technical Solutions

Bayanat is also working with airport management to examine possible technical solutions to some of the other aspects that have been identified by world authorities as key to building a safe and comfortable airport environment as passengers begin to return in significant numbers.

Much attention is focused on the twin elements of space and time. COVID-19 has made all of us far more aware and protective of personal space, which is identified as one of the most essential measures for control of the disease. In the airport context, this means more space at check-in, security, passport control, boarding gates – every stage of the passenger’s progress through the airport. More space translates directly into more time required to properly complete each essential function safely, and a great deal of work is underway to optimize all the processes. Technology will play an important role, and Bayanat will continue to deliver innovative solutions to help make the processes as smooth and comfortable as possible.

Vaccines

The other great debate is of course concerning the roll-out of vaccines and the possible impact that vaccination may make in helping aviation get back up to speed. At the moment, there are perhaps more questions than answers available about this subject, with various ‘vaccine passport’ schemes and other approaches under active discussion.

In the meantime, airport and airline management around the world, and not least at Qatar, which is proud of its global reputation as one of the world’s safest airports, continue to plan intensively and test new innovations rigorously.

Safe and secure

Everything is sharply focused on one goal; to get people back to feeling safe, secure and properly cared for on their journey through the airport – and onwards to their destination. The aviation industry has overcome many challenges in the past, and it has the technical expertise required to overcome this one.