UK. Heathrow Airport today announced the roll-out of an array of anti-viral measures at key touchpoints to protect passengers and staff from the risk of COVID-19 transmission when travelling.
The UK’s ‘biggest front door’ and only hub airport said that it has adopted the most extensive array of protective technology as the country readjusts to life post-lockdown.
The airport has kicked off several pioneering technologies including UV cleaning robots which use UV rays to quickly and efficiently kill viruses and bacteria at night.
With a long country exclusion list, over half of Heathrow’s network remains grounded, closing off vital trading and economic routes during a time when the UK needs them most
UV handrail technology is being fitted to escalators to ensure continuous disinfection of the moving handrails. And self-cleaning anti-viral wraps are being fitted to security trays, lift buttons, trolley and door handles, aiming to provide long-lasting protection from COVID-19. The wraps work by coating high-touch surfaces in a material with long-lasting anti-viral protection.
Heathrow is retraining 100 colleagues to serve as hygiene-technicians. They are tasked with thoroughly disinfecting the airport and answering passenger queries on the methods being used. The technicians will continuously monitor the effectiveness of the new technologies and help to inform plans to roll them out across the entire airport.
The airport company said that prior to these trials it had “meticulously” reviewed every step of the passenger journey to identify key touchpoints where anti-viral technologies would have the most impact.
Fly Safe Pit Stops – points where passengers can pick up face masks, anti-viral wipes and hand sanitiser free of charge – are being rolled out at these touchpoints to keep travellers safe on their journeys. Teams at the airport are also reviewing technologies which could remove the need for passengers to touch self-service check-in machines, allowing consumers to control the kiosks from their phones.
These enhanced cleaning measures are in addition to several steps taken to ensure passengers feel safe when travelling. The latter include the introduction of Perspex barriers in security areas and in some stores, compulsory face coverings, one-way systems, and touchless services available on Heathrow and airline apps. For the first time anywhere outside the US, Apple is trialling informative alerts to passengers arriving at Heathrow, directing iOS users to the latest guidance on travelling through the airport.
The initiatives follow news that UK holidaymakers can finally travel between low-risk countries without the need to quarantine on return. While welcoming these initial travel corridors, Heathrow warned that more work is needed to safely restore Britain’s long-haul network. With a long country exclusion list, over half of Heathrow’s network remains grounded, the company noted, closing off vital trading and economic routes during a time when the UK needs them most.
Heathrow CEO John Holland Kaye, said: “We have reviewed the entire Heathrow airport experience to ensure that our passengers and colleagues are kept safe as travel resumes to ‘Green’ and ‘Amber’ countries. Now we need Government to safely restore Britain’s long-haul connections as the country prepares for life outside the EU, with common international standards for COVID testing from ‘Red’ countries.”
