Victoria International Airport (YYJ) Achieves Health Accreditation

Victoria International Airport (YYJ) has joined several other Canadian airports to receive accreditation under the Airports Council International (ACI) Airport Health Accreditation Programme.

The accreditation is recognition of how seriously Victoria Airport Authority (VAA) is taking the COVID-19 pandemic and reflects our continued commitment to prioritizing health and safety measures in accordance with international industry recommendations, guidelines and best practices.

“At YYJ, the health and safety of our passengers, partners and employees is our top priority. Achieving ACI’s Airport Health Accreditation, along with our TravelSafe YYJ program which we implemented this past summer, affirms our commitment to ensuring that passengers and staff feel safe and confident while at the airport,” said Geoff Dickson, VAA President and CEO.

ACI’s Airport Health Accreditation programmes provides airports with an assessment of how aligned their health measures are with industry best practices and in accordance with International Civil Aviation Council (ICAO) Aviation Restart Task Force recommendations.

Areas of assessment for accreditation include cleaning and sanitization, physical distancing, staff protection, physical layout, passenger communications and passenger facilities.  

VAA launched its TravelSafe YYJ program July 1, 2020 and measures include:

• Requesting that only travellers with a valid ticket and airport employees enter the air terminal building. There are exceptions for those who are accompanying someone who needs extra assistance.
• Dedicated one-way entry and exit to/from the air terminal building.
• Requesting that face coverings be worn at all times throughout all areas of the air terminal building.
• Physical distancing measures with new floor and seating decals, stanchions and signage. 
• Plexiglass barriers at all airline check-in and departure gate counters, security checkpoint, car rentals and retail and food & beverage service counters
• PPE availability for purchase.
• Cleaning and Sanitization
  • Deployed 60 hand sanitization stations.
  • Increased cleaning at all high-touch areas including seating areas, check-in kiosks, elevators, escalator and stair handrails, baggage carts and enhanced cleaning of washrooms to every hour.
  • Custodial staff use of a high-quality probiotic textile spray that fights unwanted bacteria and viruses on surfaces for three days.
  • Incorporated misting sanitizer into cleaning equipment.
• Requesting that passengers collect their baggage and immediately exit the air terminal building.  Short term parking remains FREE for family and friends to pick-up arriving passengers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has required an extraordinary response and the increased health measures that are in place are to assure travellers that we have incorporated the guidance materials provided by public health officials, government officials and industry experts and that we will continue to work with those partners, test new technologies and implement new international standards as they emerge.

To learn more about ACI’s Airport Health Accreditation Program, please visit https://aci.aero/about-aci/priorities/health/aci-airport-health-accreditation-programme/

To learn more about TravelSafe YYJ, please visit our website at www.victoriaairport.com.

About Victoria Airport Authority

Victoria Airport Authority is a not-for-profit authority that has managed the safe and secure operations of the Victoria International Airport on behalf of the surrounding communities since April 1, 1997.

Victoria Airport Authority

Rod Hunchak – Director, Business Development and Community Relations
Phone: (250) 953-7514