How do you rate the measures taken at Munich Airport? In which areas do you see further need for action?
In my opinion the measures taken are very good and implemented with a reasonable sense of proportion. They can stand up to any national and international comparison – in short, Munich Airport meets more than just the required standard. However, we find that signage and announcements alone are not enough to remind our guests of behavioral rules: we need a relatively large number of staff to e.g. repeatedly point out the rules of social distancing and the correctness of wearing the mouth-nose-cover. Some guests simply forget the regulations and react very friendly and with understanding once reminded. Others are a little annoyed and we need to act soothingly.
With the second wave of infections slowly emerging, the uncertainty and unpredictable developments make it almost impossible to forecast passenger numbers and traffic movements. How do you handle these uncertainties in your area?
Adequate personnel and resource management has never been so difficult. In the last few months, however, we have learned a lot, adjusted our planning parameters and recognized certain “trends” in our flight plan and passenger development. In order to avoid bottlenecks, such as queues at the security check, the passport control or the baggage claim, we tend to plan with a little more personal than usual and try to be as flexible as possible. Sadly, a proper stabilization of air traffic cannot be observed yet. Over the past weeks we have experienced many situations within the terminal management, where we had to react ad hoc. Presumable, this will not change in the near future.