Platov Airport awarded five stars by Skytrax for COVID safety measures

Platov International Airport (managed by Airports of Regions MC) has been awarded the maximum possible five stars following a COVID-safety audit carried out by experts of the reputable international rating organisation Skytrax (based in the UK). Concurrently with Platov, Kurumoch (Samara) and Koltsovo (Ekaterinburg) airports, also managed by Airports of Regions MC, were granted a five-star COVID-19 Safety Rating.

The Skytrax Rating is regarded as the most prestigious international award for airports and airlines in passenger service quality assessment. The COVID-19 Safety Rating is a new assessment system introduced by the organization a year ago in response to the challenges of new times. As part of the audit, Skytrax experts review the compliance with more than 175 airport safety protocols in place during the pandemic and assess an airport’s compliance with passenger and staff health, hygiene and security regulations.

In the course of the audit, experts evaluate all facilities and services inside the terminal: the mandatory use of personal protective gear by both staff and visitors, availability of no-touch thermometry, touch free service technologies, social distance markings, audio alert to mandatory protection measures, cleanliness of all functional areas and rooms, and the presence of a COVID-19 testing facility. Based on the audit results, Skytrax makes a judgement on how effective and consistent coronavirus prevention measures are at a particular hub.

“Despite some slowdown in the spread of coronavirus across Russia in Q1 2021, counteracting COVID-19 at Platov has not stopped,” said Aleksander Serov, Executive Director of Platov Airport. “In any situation, the top priority for us is ensuring passenger safety. In 2020, epidemiological safety came to the fore. The system of measures developed and implemented by the airport has shown its practical prowess. And we are happy to know that this has also been confirmed by international experts.”

The five stars rating is the evidence of strictest cleanliness standards maintained by airports and their strict adherence to all passenger service procedures. The 5-star COVID-19 Safety Rating, apart from the three airports managed by Airports of Regions MC, has so far only been awarded to five airports in Rome, Istanbul, Bogota, Baku and Hamad (Doha).