Canada’s Airports Working to Ensure Safe Facilities

Thursday, October 29, 2009 -

For Immediate Release

Canada’s Airports Working to Ensure Safe Facilities

OTTAWA (Oct. 29, 2009) – Canada’s airports continue to implement extensive measures to provide safe facilities for air travellers and airport workers, the industry’s trade association said today.

“Canada’s airports understand their important role in Canada’s public health,” said CAC President and CEO Jim Facette.  “Since H1N1 first emerged, the CAC and our member airports have taken a range of measures designed to provide as medically safe an airport environment as possible for the travelling public and airport workers.”

Canada’s airports are working closely with public health officials from all sectors of government to take recommended precautions against airborne illnesses.  Some of the measures include:

• Handwashing guidelines have been prominently posted in restrooms on both the public and employee sides of airports, as well as in other strategic locations.
• Hand sanitizers have been installed throughout airport facilities.
• The cleaning of facilities and airport equipment has been stepped up.
• Airport authorities have developed pandemic plans in cooperation with public health officials.
• Airports have held educational forums for the airports workers led by public health officials.
•  Isolation rooms are available to public health officials for any necessary screening of passengers who may be ill.

Both the CAC and its individual members have maintained continuous contact on H1N1 matters with officials from Transport Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and airline/travel industry sector partners.  Just this week, a senior official from the Public Health Agency of Canada met with CAC board members – CEOs from Canada’s airports across the country.

The CAC supports current PHAC recommendations, issued October 28, 2009, that “passengers and crew members stay home if they are sick.”

About the Canadian Airports Council

The Canadian Airports Council (CAC) is the voice for Canada’s airports.  Its 47 members represent more than 200 airports, including all of the National Airports System (NAS) airports and most significant municipal airports in every province and territory. Together, CAC members handle virtually all of the nation’s air cargo and international passenger traffic and 95% of domestic passenger traffic.  They create in excess of $45 billion in economic activity in the communities they serve.  And more than 200,000 jobs are directly associated with CAC member airports, generating a payroll of more than $8 billion annually. 

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