One airport, one team

The overall theme for the week will be ‘One Airport, One Team’. This theme promotes airports from the largest international gateway airports through to the smallest regional aerodromes who share a common goal, to strive for best practise in safety and to work as one team across the airport network. The aim of Airport Safety Week is to bring together airports and aviation industry operators and to strengthen safety awareness.

Airport Safety week will be held from 16 -20 October with a different safety theme each day on emergency management planning, wildlife hazard management, airside foreign object debris, personal protective equipment and drones. Each of these safety themes provide airports with an opportunity to encourage participation from employees, contractors and consultants to highlight the importance of safety in the workplace and the commitment to maintaining a safe environment.

Airports recognise the importance of emergency management planning and ensuring staff are educated and prepared for any emergency is a key priority of an airport. The AAA actively encourages airports to share their experiences and knowledge in an effort to ensure the aviation sector continues to have an enviable safety record. In July, the AAA convened an emergency management forum with participants from right across the aviation industry, and are continuing the promotion through Airport Safety Week.

Wildlife hazard management is an ongoing issue for Australian and New Zealand Airports and can become a significant safety risk if best practice mitigation systems are not put in place. The Airport Safety Week website has a number of resources on wildlife hazard management including practice notes and a webinar.

Wildlife hazard management is an ongoing issue and can become a significant safety risk.

In past years, airports across the Australian and New Zealand network have sought to educate non-operational staff on the potential hazards of foreign object debris (FOD) on runways, taxiways and aprons. Staff who would not usually have the opportunity venture onto these areas are taken on a FOD walk. This activity identifies the risk of debris on runways and educates staff on the detrimental effects of an unclean airside surfaces.

Educating airport staff, contactors and consultants on the correct personal protective equipment for their job and why it is important is a role vital for employers to communicate and monitor. This not only mitigates risk but ensures everyone understands the benefits of being properly protected at work.

Airport Safety Week provides a toolkit of resources, daily enewsletter’s and quizzes to participating airports and organisations. The tool kit can be accessed on the Airport Safety Week website and may be utilised year-round.

Airports around Australia and New Zealand contribute to Airport Safety week by conducting various events and activities ranging from launches with guest speakers, promotion of Airport Safety Week banners in terminal buildings, activity book for children, fire extinguisher and warden training and building evacuation drills.

Throughout safety week the AAA will engage with key stakeholders across the political spectrum to discuss aviation safety and the importance of an effective, efficient and fair aviation safety regulatory system promoting a positive safety culture, and providing a focus on supporting nationally consistent training competencies.

The AAA developed an Airport Safety Charter in 2016 to further boost the focus on improving the safety culture at participating aerodromes throughout the year and act as a reminder of how much of a focus safety is in everything we do.

Last year, there were 102 Australian airports, 15 New Zealand airports, 9 internationally located airports and 28 aviation industry organisations registered as participants for Airport Safety Week. The AAA is looking to build on the success of last year to widen the reach of Airport Safety Week across not only Australia and New Zealand but the world.

Airport Safety Week looks to enhance and add to the safety conversation this year by raising awareness of the importance of safety and encourage all airport staff and contractors to consider their obligations to provide a safe environment for all airport users.