The impact of COVID-19 on the SAVE Group airports is a huge traffic reduction of up to 99% at Venice Airport, and the closure of Treviso and Verona airports due to the cancellation of commercial flights. Here, Corrado Fischer, Chief Operating Officer, explains SAVE Group’s crisis management initiatives to Airport Business’ Ross Falconer.
Corrado Fischer, Chief Operating Officer, SAVE Group: “We have immediately established a Crisis Committee, meeting twice a day with the task of analysing general and airport-related daily news and taking consequent decisions both for the immediate/short-term and the medium/long-term.”
The impact of COVID-19 on the SAVE Group airports is a huge traffic reduction of up to 99% at Venice Airport, and the closure of Treviso and Verona airports due to the complete cancellation of commercial flights.
“We have immediately established a Crisis Committee, meeting twice a day with the task of analysing general and airport-related daily news and taking consequent decisions both for the immediate/short-term and the medium/long-term,” explains Corrado Fischer, Chief Operating Officer, SAVE Group. “Participants of the Committee are the Managing Director, Chief Operations Manager, Human Resources Manager, Health Safety and Environmental Manager, Commercial Managers, and Airport Duty Managers.”
SAVE Group’s response to the COVID-19 crisis includes the urgent deployment of anti-virus cleaning procedures in all busy areas and covering all passenger services. “We started planning thermo-scanner implementation both for arrivals and departures, minimising the need to measure each passenger’s temperature,” says Fischer. “We also start planning a labour cost-reduction plan using, if possible, national labour compensation tools.”
He adds: “Once this major crisis is gone and we’re back to normality, there will be the need to rethink and re-plan many airport operations, and passenger ID information, giving more importance to any method, system or way to guarantee not only a ‘nice’ experience, but primarily a ‘healthy’ experience to the passenger.”
ESTA-type documents to process incoming and outgoing passengers, as well as new means to keep them ‘cleared’ through all steps of the airport journey will be studied.
Looking ahead, Fischer expects a slow recovery. “Today, most carriers don’t see relevant booking numbers for the next two months. Until the situation improves and people start to feel safe travelling again, it’s difficult to predict a possible scenario.”
Medical supplies have arrived at Venice Airport via special cargo services.
