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53
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53 (148) 2022

Corporate social responsibility

Responsible business is about partnerships and discussion

By Zuzanna Wcisło-Wasilewska, senior social communication and CSR officer, Kraków Airport
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Kraków Airport is aware that its operations and development plans have an impact on the immediate environment – local communities, businesses, people working in and around the airport and the local ecosystem. So we have been working every day for many years to integrate our business goals with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.

When new challenges appear, we make every effort to identify every potential risk, so that we can analyse it in detail and minimise any negative impact. Risk analysis is also a cornerstone of our sustainable development strategy. We are the only regional airport in Poland that served 8 million passengers a year before the pandemic, but the last two years have seen dynamically changing realities and social trends. The force with which the pandemic hit the aviation industry strengthened our belief that the ability to quickly respond to changes is an essential skill of responsible management in today's reality.

“The last two years were very challenging to Kraków Airport. They were years of uncertainty brought about by the crisis affecting the entire aviation and tourism industry. The pandemic has taught us how to manage risks associated with the unpredictability of the aviation business more efficiently and make plans that, if necessary, can be revised and adapted to new conditions quickly,” said Radosław Włoszek, president of Kraków Airport.

Passengers, their comfort and safety are our priority. The experience of the pandemic has also helped us appreciate the great importance of partnerships. Travellers’ expectations have changed and the comfort of those who #flyKRK is no longer the only priority for our services. Sanitary safety has come to the fore, where important partners in carrying out preventive action included state and local government services, the Civil Aviation Office, Airports Council International (ACI), the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

The following measures have been put in place at our airport:

  • contactless hand-sanitiser dispensers
  • vertical and horizontal markings reminding travellers to wear masks covering the mouth and nose and to keep a safe social distance while in the terminal
  • extra screens installed at information desks and check-in desks
  • body temperature scanner gates
  • contactless boarding pass scanning
  • points of sale of personal protective equipment (face masks, disposable gloves, hand sanitiser)
  • trays at security checkpoints covered with a permanent anti-virus and anti-bacterial coating.

In addition, we have increased the frequency of cleaning with biocides and started disinfecting high-touch surfaces. Airflow settings in the terminal building have been modified too. To make return to flying safer and more comfortable for passengers, we have partnered with the iMED24 Medical Centre and the DNA Research Centre. Two Covid-19 testing points operate at our airport, open 24 hours a day and always available to travellers. Kraków Airport has also encouraged vaccinations - both for our passengers, to make it easier to travel to countries with varying preventive measures in place, and for our employees for whom several vaccination campaigns have been organised.

Kraków Airport has twice received the ACI Airport Health Accreditation (AHA) in recognition of the solutions we have implemented. The ACI accreditation programme checks and assesses the degree of airport preparedness in the area of health protection. The audited measures included cleaning and disinfection technology, social distancing policy, safeguards for airport staff, the method and effectiveness of communication about the sanitary rules in place and other healthcare facilities for passengers.

Research and analysis carried out at our airport shows that as many as 79% of #flyKRK travellers have a positive opinion about the sanitary safety measures implemented. Last year, we were the first airport in Poland to join a European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) programme Aviation Industry Charter for Covid-19, under which we undertook to report all activities aimed at preventing the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

“The aviation industry is continually recovering from the time the skies were closed to civil aviation. It is important for us that all entities of the aviation system – of which we are an integral part – cooperate closely with one another” said Mr Włoszek.

By focusing on partnerships and joint responsible development, we want to talk about raising standards, passenger comfort and safety and the future of sustainable air travel. On 13-15 September 2022 we will be hosting the fourth edition of the ACI Customer Experience Global Summit 2022, organised by Airports Council International (ACI). During the three days of the event, representatives of the international aviation industry will talk about innovative solutions and improvements in customer services. The exchange of experiences from the pandemic and ideas for new initiatives for passengers will certainly translate into increased passenger satisfaction with air travel.  

“The ACI Customer Experience Global Summit 2022 is definitely an important event for the entire aviation industry, devoted to passenger service and comfort, so we encourage everyone to participate in this upcoming event!” said Mr Włoszek.

See you in Kraków! – the Kraków Airport Team


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