Airport Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, airports faced challenges such as implementing health protocols, accessing trusted information, accommodating social distancing, and using effective technologies to control the spread of the virus. Public health officials interviewed for this report acknowledged a potential conflict between sustaining airport operations and promoting travel on the one hand and the need to implement certain health protocols to prevent disease transmission on the other. They also noted that public health governance structures vary from one state to the next, which can affect how COVID-19 response efforts are carried out.

ACRP Research Report 253: Airport Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic, from TRB's Airport Cooperative Research Program, is intended as a resource for continued response to COVID-19 and future communicable disease outbreaks. The report summarizes 124 interviews with representatives from 127 airports of all sizes and regions.