Queenstown & Wanaka Airports Focus on Safety

Queenstown and Wanaka airports focus on safety as part of global Airport Safety Week

Queenstown and Wanaka airports will join airports and aviation-associated agencies around the globe to take part in Airport Safety Week, held 16-20 October 2017.

Following on from last year’s successful week-long campaign at Queenstown Airport, the team is ramping up events this year and expanding the initiative to include Wanaka Airport.

Specifically tailored to engage with employees and contractors working at airports, the Safety Week campaign is a collaboration between the Australian Airports Association (AAA) and the NZ Airports Association (NZAA).

Last year, there were 126 airports from around the world and 28 organisations registered as participants, which the AAA is forecasting will increase as Airport Safety Week spreads across the world.

This year’s overall theme is One Airport One Team, with a programme of events featuring experts from various aviation, emergency management and health and safety disciplines.

Safety Week sub-themes include Emergency Management Plan - Do You Know Your Place?, Developing a Safety Culture, Foreign Object Debris (FOD) Walk, Airside Driving, PPE Why and Who Needs It? and Mental Health in the workplace.

The operations teams from both airports have crafted a series of events that best reflect the unique operations carried out at both airports, focussing on topics relevant to Queenstown and Wanaka.

Interactive sessions at Queenstown Airport will include emergency management planning, airside driving safety, a drone awareness workshop, mental health in the workplace seminar, a FOD walk of the runway and more during the week.

Wanaka Airport will host a series of mental health in the workplace seminars, a drone awareness workshop and conduct a table-top emergency planning exercise for the airport – a key component of any airport’s emergency planning.

Queenstown Airport GM Operations and Safety Mike Clay said the initiative aimed to enhance and highlight the importance of safety at Queenstown and Wanaka airports and provided a valuable opportunity to engage with the airport communities.

“Airport Safety Week encourages all staff, stakeholders and contractors working at airports to consider their own personal safety and wellbeing as well as assisting in providing a safe and secure environment for our customers,” said Mr Clay.

Queenstown Airport Chief Executive Colin Keel said: “Our top priority is to ensure a safe and healthy environment for our customers and staff every day. Airport Safety Week gives us an opportunity to highlight what we do day-to-day and provide further awareness about the importance of safety.

“We had more than 100 members across the airport community participate in Airport Safety Week last year and we’re keen to build on that this year.”

ENDS

For more information on Airport Safety Week view the video -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=138&v=vyD3my_hbtE

or visit the website –

http://www.airportsafetyweek.com/

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