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Airport incident communications
In the past, we knew whether our flight would be on time only once we arrived at the airport. These days, we expect to find flight updates online, or to have them immediately available via an app, text message or Twitter. This information has to come from somewhere. Since 2016, incident operations and communications executives (IOCES) have been working in the stable operations departments of major airports. Their responsibility is to keep the airport running smoothly 24 hours a day.
An IOCE works as part of a stable crew that ensures there is always one person on duty, with the others on call — even on their rest days — so that if an incident occurs, they are available to support the duty team member. If an incident lasts for a few days, such as disruption caused by extreme weather conditions, team members will remain on call in an on-site airport hotel. The team is based in the airport’s main control centre. Everything is monitored from this hub, including baggage systems, CCTV, fire alarms and detectors, as well as inter-terminal shuttle transport.
During airport disruption incidents in the past, a lack of communication between departments and with other, nearby airports led to mixed information going out within the airport, and to its stakeholders and customers. An IOCE’S job is to bridge these communication gaps, ensuring that the information remains accurate.
During disruption incidents, they write and send out information and communications to staff and passengers — getting the right messages out as quickly as possible via the airport website, social media pages, internal websites and intranet, as well as the Airport Community app. They also handle press and media enquiries, and make statements or write press releases.
At London’s Gatwick airport, disruption incidents are categorized as either bronze, silver or gold, and actions are taken according to these categories. Bronze: Any incident that is expected to last less than four hours and that may have a minor impact on airport operations, such as an air-traffic control strike or temporary fog on the airfield.
Silver: Any incident that will have a major impact on airport operations for between four and 12 hours and has the potential to damage the airport’s reputation. For example, last spring, unexpected cold weather around London meant all planes needed de-icing. This quickly led to a shortage of de-icing fluid, which caused flight delays and cancellations.
Gold: Any incident seen as a crisis that impacts airport operations for more than 12 hours and has the potential to severely damage its reputation, such as a runway closure or serious aircraft incident.
During all incidents, regular briefings are held with representatives from all airport departments, as well as handling agents, airlines and third-party contractors. This ensures that all teams across the airport have the same situational awareness and can work together to reduce the disruption to passengers.