In our special series to close out 2020, we focus on the heroes and heroines who stood up as a global pandemic raged and ensured that airport, travel retail store and restaurant environments were safe and hygienic, that shelves were stocked and that customers – though few in number – could still enjoy a reassuring shopping, dining or general airport experience.
With the assistance and input of our industry partners, we present the stories of some of those individuals and teams who ensured that a pulse still beat through travel retail this year. As reported in The Moodie Davitt eZine, we salute these front line workers as our People of the Year, with our online coverage building on the pictorial in our year-end edition.
Today, we head out onto the airfield and hear from Airport Authority Hong Kong. In October three staff members were honoured with the Chief Executive’s Commendation for Community Service from the HKSAR government, recognising their outstanding contributions to fight against COVID-19. Here is one of those stories.
Man Chui, Manager, Airfield, is a 30-year veteran in airfield operations. Under Man’s leadership, his team facilitated chartered flights to help the Hong Kong residents stranded in three locations – on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan, Hubei Province and Pakistan, to return home.
Each chartered flight operation required careful co-ordination with stakeholders including government departments, airlines, ground handling agents and more.
“The pressure was immense, as any mistake or misstep on protocol could lead to quarantine failure and jeopardise public safety. We had to ensure the execution of each operation was watertight and smooth,” said Man.
On top of this, Man worked long hours to map out and update parking stand assignment zoning plans. The new zones comply with the fast-changing quarantine measures imposed on arrival flights from different origins.
“Our goals were to comply with the quarantine requirements and to minimise passenger inconvenience,” he said. In addition, Man also worked with base carriers and the Civil Aviation Department to properly accommodate a large number of idle aircraft on the ground during the pandemic.