Safety, Security
and Contingency
Planning

Ensuring the safety of the thousands of airport staff and the millions of passengers travelling through our airport every year remains our top priority. Moreover, we also need to be well prepared to predict, prevent and, where necessary, respond swiftly to all potential disruptions and crises that may affect the smooth operation of HKIA.

Safety and Security

Safety is of paramount importance in airport operation. To provide a safe environment for passengers and airport staff, we operate a safety management system, which provides a robust framework of safety processes, and work closely with our employees and the airport community to cultivate a ‘safety-first’ culture. We are also applying new preventive technologies to further strengthen the safety of HKIA.

Using technology to strengthen airport safety performance

Automated foreign object debris (FOD) detection system

During the year, we finished the installation of an automated FOD detection system on the two runways of HKIA. This electro-optical system offers round-the-clock runway FOD surveillance, and has a recording function for post-event analysis and investigation. The system complements existing manual runway inspections, and further enhances the overall safety of runway operations at HKIA.

New security screening technologies

We completed the installation of new security screening equipment, including dual-view X-ray machines, archway metal detectors and bottle liquid scanners, at all the screening checkpoints at HKIA. We have also conducted a number of trials of full-body scanners to assess the effectiveness of the technology as well as passengers’ acceptance, as a forward planning for its implementation in the three-runway system (3RS).

We continue to explore and trial smart security technologies to enhance security control and to provide better security performance, such as the introduction of biometric technology to facilitate passengers entering the restricted area and boarding the flight.

HKIA achieved a record low injury rate in 2016/17, through the continuous collaboration of the airport community, recording 3.94 injuries per million passengers.

Airport Composite Safety Index
2012/13
2013/14
2014/15
2015/16
3.94
2016/17
Staff and passenger injury rate (per million passengers)
3.94
injuries per million passengers

Key initiatives

Safety Management System
  • Revised the Safety Management Manual to enhance the procedures for monitoring ramp service providers’ safety management plans and their compliance with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Annex 19: Safety Management.
  • Introduced the Electronic Safety Management System that enables timely notification, reporting, analysis and tracking of injuries, hazards and risks. An online safety hazard reporting platform was also launched on the HKIA Extranet.
  • Extended the mandatory safety and security awareness test to cover all Airport Restricted Area (ARA) permit holders.
AAHK employees
  • Conducted the biennial Safety Climate Assessment to assess perceptions of and attitudes towards safety among AAHK employees. The mean score increased slightly from 3.49 in 2014 to 3.52 in 2016. While a score between 3 and 4 is considered satisfactory, we will continue our efforts in strengthening the safety culture within AAHK.
  • Organised the AA Staff Safety Campaign in June 2017.
Airport community
  • Commenced an On-the-spot Safety Training Programme in October 2016 to raise the awareness and improve the attitude of staff working at our aviation logistics franchisees. As of March 2017, nine training sessions had been organised for over 335 staff from different franchisees.
  • Enhanced the Airside Driving Qualification Scheme for Ground Service Equipment by introducing an aircraft fuselage mock-up to simulate real-life docking scenarios.
  • A two-year Baggage Hall safety revamp, which includes widening vehicular routes and demarcation of pedestrian walkways and measures to prevent manual handling injuries, will commence in Q4 2017/18.
Passengers
  • Produced ten short videos on key safety topics concerning passengers such as proper use of escalators and baggage trolleys. The videos have been broadcast within the terminals since April 2017.

Contingency Planning

Given the myriad of potential disruptions and crises that may affect the operations of HKIA, we have put in place systems and processes to predict, identify, manage and minimise the associated risks. With a view to strengthen the operational resilience of HKIA, we must ensure that all AAHK employees and business partners are aware of the systems and procedures, and take appropriate action in the event of disruption or crisis.

Key initiatives

  • Supported business partners to establish their own risk registry, response and contingency plans, and annual preparedness plans according to the identified operational risks.
  • Designed a new training session on airport operation disruption handling, which will be included as part of induction training for home-based airlines and ground handling agents.
  • Produced a video on airport business continuity procedures and plans, which will be used as a prerequisite for renewing the ARA permits starting from Q3 2017/18.
  • Delivered around 90 training sessions for over 1,000 passenger handling staff of major business partners in 2016/17.