ACI APAC & MID showcases airports’ readiness for future public health crises

The 18^th Meeting of the ICAO Collaborative Arrangement for the Prevention and Management of Public Health Events in Civil Aviation – Asia Pacific (CAPSCA-AP/18) was held from 20-–21 August 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand. The meeting was attended by over 60 medical and civil aviation professionals from States and industry associations across the Asia-Pacific region. 

In recent years, outbreaks of communicable diseases, including monkeypox and Ebola, have raised travel-related concerns and served as a reminder of how civil aviation can be disrupted by international public health crises. 

At the meeting, Mr. Gary Leung, Senior Manager – Security and Facilitation of ACI APAC & MID, delivered a presentation outlining how airports have strengthened preparedness over the years for public health events—and for the next pandemic. These measures can be grouped into the following categories: 

• Physical measures (e.g. temperature screening, disinfection routines)  
• Infrastructure & facilities (e.g. flexible terminal layout for health emergency events)  
• Emergency planning (e.g. exercise on pandemic outbreak scenario)  
• Governance (e.g. defined accountability on health-related issues)  
• Stakeholder cooperation (e.g. cross-party coordination with health authorities and other stakeholders)  
• Communications (e.g. protocols for timely info dissemination to passengers and staff)    

The meeting also introduced participants to several ACI initiatives developed in recent years related to public health, including the ACI Public Health & Safety Readiness Accreditation and the establishment of the “cleanest airport” award category in the ACI ASQ programme. 

Established in 2006, CAPSCA is a programme managed by ICAO that brings together stakeholders from the civil aviation sector and public health sector to improve preparedness planning and response to public health events that affect civil aviation. The group has become a more important forum for the region since the COVID pandemic.   

ACI APAC & MID is committed to engaging with governments and industry stakeholders to advocate for policies and regulations that can enable safe and sustainable airport operations.

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