The briefing on airports

The news, views and numbers you need to know this month

The briefing on connected aviation

The news, views and numbers you need to know this month

News in numbers

46%

The percentage of passengers with reduced mobility who felt unable to travel by air in the past two years because of their disability, according to a survey conducted by the Research Institute for Disabled Consumers (RiDC) fo Which? Magazine

4,432

The number of firearms found by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials at US airport security checkpoints in 2019 according to TSA – 87% of these were loaded

8 Dec 2019

The official date for the commencement of the coronavirus outbreak, which has resulted in more than 300 deaths (at the time of writing) and airport closures worldwide

13.1%

The percentage increase in passengers that passed through four international airports in Bosnia-Herzegovina, making for a record total of 1,919,289

7.4%

Increase in industry-wide revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs) – the number of kilometres travelled by paying passengers - in 2018, according to IATA

In quotes

ACI World director general Angela Gittens, following the release of new ICAO preparedness guidelines in light of the recent coronavirus outbreak:

The guidance we have issued today reiterates a number of options and best practices that airports and national authorities can use to protect against communicable diseases that might pose a serious risk to public health. The recommendations are designed to reduce exposure to an infectious agent at airports and to improve the response to health-related emergencies.

Edinburgh Airport CEO Gordon Dewar, following the launch of a device that can translate speech into 74 different languages to aid international passengers:

The security process is one of the most important as we need to ensure the safety of all passengers and staff, so it’s vital that we have the ability to clearly explain the process and help people understand so we can make that process as positive as possible. We’re already lucky to have native speakers within our teams; Pocketalk will enhance our ability to talk to those people who come from all over the world to visit Edinburgh and Scotland.