Hyderabad|India|February'2010: The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) has become the first airport in the PPP (Public Private Partnership) sector, to achieve IMS certifications comprising Quality, Safety and Environment management systems at one go: International Quality Management standard ISO 9001:2008, Environment Management Standard ISO – 14001:2004 and Occupational Health and Safety Management standard BS OHSAS 18001:2007.

The certification follows a formal audit by external auditors, Bureau Veritas Certification (India) Pvt Ltd, with the key areas of strengths in the assessment including companies systems and procedures, as well as staff awareness of how they contribute to overall success of these goals. GHIAL has already been certified ISO 27001:2005 (Information Security Management System) in 2009.

And now the RGIA is also compatible for 2D Bar Coded Boarding Passes (BCBP) as per the International Air Transport Association (IATA) mandate. IATA had set a mandate a few years ago to ensure that all airports and airlines should be compatible for 2D Bar Coded Boarding Passes (BCBP). The BCBP will have a positive impact on reducing stationery wastage, reducing human error, improving operational efficiency, facilitating easier transit at other airports for passengers from originating airport, among other intended benefits. The level of RGIA’s commitment was such that even standby systems like Local Departure Control Systems (LDCS) were also ensured to be BCBP compatible with 2D bar coding. The improved operational efficiency of the Airlines and Ground Handlers was one of the vital factors in helping RGIA achieve excellent Airport Service Quality ratings, right from its first year of operations.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. P. Sripathy, Chief Executive Officer of GHIAL said, “along with these certifications and achieving the BCBP compatibility as mandated by IATA, comes the challenge to perform even better and deliver the best to our customers and stake holders. With efficient and motivated teams in place, I have no doubt that we will continue to exceed the expectations of our customers and emerge as the best in service quality, environment consciousness,further improve operational efficiencies, and become the safest and best airport in the world.”

“Our next aim is to achieve Business Excellence through the Malcolm Baldrige Business Excellence model, which we have embarked upon in this New Year. IMS certification is a significant step on our journey towards business excellence,” Mr.Sripathy added.