A Clean Home Base at Winnipeg Richardson International Airport

At Winnipeg Richardson International Airport (YWG), keeping the airport environment clean and safe for all means treating the facility like one’s own home. The team has been living this approach for many years as part of its commitment to customer service but now, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a need to meet the highest standard in all areas to protect the community.

A strategic combination of teamwork, new technology and tenacity embody the YWG Clean Program. The initiative is a comprehensive inventory of everything Winnipeg Airports Authority (WAA) has been doing since the early days of the pandemic to provide a clean and secure airport environment. The top priority is ensuring all travellers, visitors and staff feel safe at the airport knowing all details are being looked after with their well-being in mind to support safe travel now and in the future.

Teamwork

The YWG Clean Program is a collective effort. While one team sources innovative technology to help effectively disinfect the 53,512-square-metre terminal, another reviews cleaning solutions and tools to exceed public health standards. Soon after, the supply chain works to bring in the necessary materials, above and beyond the obvious needs like personal protective equipment and ordering hand sanitizer in bulk. In addition, the most critical layer executing the program is the frontline cleaning crew.

All cleaning staff at YWG rotate through high-traffic areas, such as check-in kiosks, at the gates or on the bridges, working to address all touch surfaces inside the airport each day. Additionally, high-priority cleaning locations can be identified by Enhanced Cleaning icons displayed throughout the terminal. These help communicate to the traveller that the area or amenity has been disinfected. Manual attention to detail goes a long way but many other factors help simultaneously boost the multi-layered program.

Technology

In this modern age, the human factor is irreplaceable in many ways, but it can be supported. WAA is sourcing innovative technology to elevate cleaning techniques and increase touch-free experiences at the airport long-term.

On the main escalator leading into the Arrivals Hall, a handrail sterilizer device is emitting UV-C light wavelengths to kill bacteria on the surface from all angles. Passengers are encouraged to grab the handrails with confidence knowing this technology is at work to help keep them safe.

The modern terminal building leverages its electrostatic media filtration system to increase fresh air quality to match that of a hospital setting inside the facility. On the ground, cleaning crews are using an electrostatic sprayer to disinfect critical areas multiple times a day. These initiatives are complimented by touch-free upgrades such as increasing tap limits or being the first airport in Canada to install facial recognition eGates as part of the NEXUS program.

Tenacity

The manager of custodial services at YWG, Sherry Moulden, said it best when she expressed, “The airport is like our home and we want to make sure everything is taken care of and clean.”

Winnipeg Richardson International Airport is a second home for many airport campus employees and a home away from home for many frequent travellers. It is imperative to keep expanding upon the YWG Clean Program to continue to meet the needs of the industry in the future when passenger volumes start to recover and more travel destinations open up across Canada and the globe.

At YWG, the team is committed to providing a safe and clean environment to be ready for every journey and the means of delivery is the ever-expanding YWG Clean Program.

To learn more about the program, visit https://www.waa.ca/waa/newywgtravelexperience/cleanprogram