Bahrain International Airport certified with highest 5-Star COVID-19 Safety Rating

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The Bahrain International Airport (BIA) has received yet another prestigious recognition from an international body for its exceptional standards and efforts to protect passengers’ health and safety.

This time, BIA is certified with the highest 5-Star COVID-19 Airport Safety Rating for ensuring high-quality hygiene and strictly following safety protocols to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The rating was awarded to BIA by Skytrax, an international air transport rating organisation, following a detailed audit of COVID-19 safety standards it conducted in December 2021.

It places BIA – which is operated and managed by Bahrain Airport Company (BAC) – in the top 5% of airports worldwide for cleanliness and hygiene.

BAC Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Yousif Al Binfalah is proud on this achievement for Bahrain, saying: “We are proud to obtain this 5-star rating which recognises the immense efforts made by our team on a daily basis to ensure our customers travel with complete peace of mind.

“We dedicate this award to the government of Bahrain, which has taken proactive measures since the start of the pandemic to protect public health and safety, as well as to the frontline healthcare workers, who have worked tirelessly to keep the people of Bahrain safe.

“Since January, BIA has received several awards and recognition from international bodies for its exceptional standards and efforts to protect passengers’ health and safety.

We remain committed to ensuring that travel through the airport is safe, pleasant, and hassle-free.” BIA has introduced an extensive programme of safety measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Throughout the terminal, there are frequent hand sanitisers, including high-contact areas such as check-in, boarding gates, and self-service facilities.

Frequently touched surfaces have been treated with anti-microbial coatings, social distancing is provided throughout the terminal with a range of floor markers and seat markers. Frontline service counters have been fitted with rigid screens, and self-service points such as ATM’s, vending machines etc all have hand sanitisers adjacent.

All airport users are required to wear face masks. This safety accreditation is regarded as a global benchmark for defining safe travel assurance for customers and a top recognition of the effectiveness of the safety measures introduced by BIA to protect their customers and staff against the spread of the virus.

The audit assessed 175 different safety protocols related specifically to the COVID-19 pandemic.