Now that travel’s all geared for a restart, travellers passing through Malta’s gateway, whether they be landing or leaving, will be glad to know that the Malta International Airport has just been awarded the highest possible accolade in terms of COVID-19 safety.
5-star service
A three-day audit was conducted by Skytrax, a UK-based consultancy that runs an airline and airport review and ranking site. Apart from the 5-star review, they also had some glowing praise for Malta’s Airport Care Team.
“Malta Airport conducted a very detailed review of airport processes and COVID-19 risk points for the customer journey through the terminal”, said Skytrax Research CEO Edward Plaisted. Continuing, he explained that “the high standards of cleanliness throughout the terminal were particularly noteworthy, and this should be highly reassuring to customers travelling in the coming months”.
The island’s national airport now joins eight other airports worldwide to hold this prestigious rating. This places MIA in line with the guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO), the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
The tests carried out
Health and safety protocols were just the baselines of the test carried out. A good portion was dedicated to main passenger touch-points, with around 60 frequently touched surfaces given special attention. These would include handrails, escalators, vending machines and the like. Needless to say, MIA CEO Alan Borg was thrilled, but also cautious.
“Coming at a time when we are easing into the restart of tourism, this 5-star rating reassures us that we are well-positioned to give incoming guests a safe welcome to the Maltese islands”, Borg surmised. Thanking all those involved, he also urged them to maintain these levels, and surpass them where possible.
“The achievement of this coveted industry rating does not mean that we will be resting on our laurels”, he explained. “As we brace ourselves for busier summer days, we remain committed to keep evolving the airport experience by taking on board the expert advice provided by Skytrax and focusing on certain areas of operation highlighted in the audit report which may become increasingly more challenging to manage as traffic picks up”.
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