Airports and Aviation

The challenge

From a passenger perspective, the airport and aviation experience can be taken for granted as an expected service level to get someone from A to B safely, on time, at a reasonable cost with as little inconvenience as possible, and where disrupted, there are clear regular communications to keep up to date with the situation.

For some, it’s an enjoyable experience, for others it can be an endurance. Either way, passenger expectations that the process will work seamlessly are high with little tolerance for disruption.

Behind the scenes, the airport and aviation industry sector is immensely complex with a large number of stakeholders working in close coordination to safely process and transport millions of passengers, their baggage, and cargo through a high-risk, compliance-driven process underpinned by a broad range of integrated infrastructure.

The entire operation is subject to a vast number of risks scenarios, many being sudden events that are high profile with long-lasting serious impacts that are disruptive and complex to manage from the perspective of emergency management, crisis management, and operations / business / technology recovery.

It is essential that the entire family of the key airport and aviation stakeholders are match-fit to face their worst-case scenarios that could occur at any time.

Leaving it until it happens will be too late and is not a viable option.

Airport and Aviation business continuity issues and risk scenarios

How FastTrack can assist

Business Continuity issues and high impact risk scenarios

A wide range of significant high-impact risk scenarios
Major safety and compliance requirements
Strong security to maintain sterile areas to passengers and baggage / cargo
Heavy reliance on continued fuel supply
Major emergency response capability required for air crash response
Significant reliance on a wide range of complex technology infrastructure
High threat of terrorism and crime
Several single points of failure – air traffic control, ground control, check-in hall, etc.
A large community of external stakeholders overseen by a small management team
Many critical operational suppliers and service providers that can disrupt operations
Serious adverse weather conditions – high winds, lightning, snow / ice, and flooding
Bird strike, animals on the loose, trespassers / serious security breach
Pandemic – border closure, operational changes, site infection, loss of key supplier
Sudden ICAO regulation changes responding to a new security threat / incident
A strong commercial need to maintain non-aeronautical revenues
Major exposure to cyber-attack and loss of technology platforms
Major focus on emergency scenarios and not on business continuity and recovery
Tests restricted to statutory air crash drills that are staged and provide reduced value
A content-rich Website that can crash if overloaded
Vulnerable to widespread and prolonged loss of the Internet

Our BCM services

Risk assessment and training
BCM / emergency management benchmark / audit
Crisis management design and plan development
Command centre / EOC design and testing
Simulations in conjunction with airport stakeholders
Call-out / notification system
Airport air crash emergency test
Air crash international investigation teams support
Business criticality / impact assessment
Displacement strategies for loss of terminal facilities
Integrate domestic / international processing plans
Development of critical facilities backup
Fuel supply contingency strategy and plans
Implement / live test air traffic backup control tower
Plans to close / convert taxiway / re-open runway
Review BCM preparedness for critical external parties
IT DR management capability
Cyber attack response and

Airport and Aviation - Focal points

Client references

What our clients say

“FastTrack provided a range of focused crisis management and business continuity services that ideally suited the unique and complex requirements of an international airport. FastTrack helped to prepare crisis plans, an airport criticality analysis and facilitating a challenging crisis simulation exercise with our management team alongside senior representatives from the major airport stakeholders.

The preparations and training facilitated by FastTrack were invaluable in preparing us to successfully respond to and recover from the challenging 2010 and 2011 earthquakes.”

— Chief Executive – International Airport

“I want to acknowledge your considerable enthusiasm, professionalism, and commitment to the Auckland International Airport Crash Exercise.

Auckland International Airport Ltd should be justifiably impressed with the way in which you quickly established their needs and worked with the diverse group of emergency services representatives to help deliver a complex full deployment exercise with great results.

On behalf of the Police as the lead of the joint agency writing and planning team, my sincere thanks for the fresh eyes you brought to our work and the very professional way you worked with us.

Kind regards.”

— Inspector, Operations Manager – NZ Police

“As the CEO of a leading New Zealand airline, I faced a major challenge when one of our aircraft crashed. It was one of the country’s worst crashes in aviation history and as CEO I had to respond to many issues including casualties, survivors, family, media and staff. Our response was widely regarded as outstanding, much of which can be attributed to having conducted a crisis simulation just prior to the event which enabled our management team to respond in a confident and professional manner.

It is with this experience that I am endorsing the FastTrack approach and their team’s ability to present realistic simulation exercises.”