ISO 55001 certification is relatively rare in the Western Hemisphere. H-JAIA is the 1st international airport in the Americas and the 3rd organization in North America to achieve it.
ATLANTA, GA – Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (H-JAIA) is known for being the world’s busiest and most efficient airport. H-JAIA can now add being the first international airport in North and South America to achieve ISO 55001 certification for Asset Management System (AMS) to its resume.
At the October 9th award ceremony, Atlanta Airlines Terminal Corporation (AATC) CEO and President, Dr. Kofi Smith, was presented the certification by ABS-QE, for AATC’s Asset Management System at H-JAIA. ABS-QE is the first and currently only global certification body accredited by the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB).
Defining the fundamentals required for businesses to proactively and cost-effectively manage the lifecycle of their assets, from acquisition to decommission, ISO 55001 became a new international standard for AMS in 2014 and enjoys a strong presence in Asia and Europe, with a growing presence in the Middle East.
ISO 55001 certification is relatively rare in the Western Hemisphere. H-JAIA is the 1st international airport in the Americas and the 3rd organization in North America to achieve it.
“In the busy, day-to-day world of the airport that never sleeps, higher level strategy and responses can get lost,” said Donna Ahlrich, the Continuous Improvement Industrial Engineer at AATC. “Going through this journey to achieve ISO 55001 has given AATC the tools to be proactive rather than reactive. We at AATC will use this ISO 55001 certification to continue to commit to delivering world class facility services to maintain H-JAIA’s reputation as one of the world’s best maintained passenger terminal complexes.”
By ensuring all the elements of an AMS are in place, businesses can manage the risks and costs associated with owning assets in a structured, efficient manner. This is paramount to support continual AMS improvement and on-going value creation.
Whether in the public or private sector and whether the assets are physical, financial, human or “intangible,” good asset management maximizes the return on investment (ROI) as well as satisfaction of stakeholders’ expectations.
For a company, ISO 55001 has a plethora of benefits. It requires businesses to manage the risks associated with ownership of assets and improve quality assurance for customers and regulators. It provides confidence for new business acquisitions, which supports international business growth, to name a few.
For the traveler, ISO 55001 certification informs them they’ll receive a consistent and excellent customer experience through the levels of service delivered to them through the reliability of the asset portfolio. It reveals our business’ dedication to delivering an outstanding passenger experience through best-in-class asset management practices.
A privately-held corporation since 1979, AATC is an airline-owned and controlled management team, established to deliver the most efficient and cost-effective airport operation and maintenance (O&M) services in the industry. It boasts an impressive lineup of shareholders, including Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines.
AATC is instrumental in providing world class facility services to maintain H-JAIA’s 7.2 million square feet of interior space and its base building systems. Earning the prestigious ISO 55001 certification, a certification that has been awarded to only seven other international airports globally, means AATC can manage its system, processes, and procedures more efficiently. This ensures that the over 100 million airline passengers – over 270,000 daily – that travel through the airport, and the 63,000 airport employees that serve them, are comfortable.
At its core, AATC’s objective is to make sure airport customers get from the airport entrance onto their planes safely and securely, while appreciating the beauty, efficiency and enjoyable experience that is H-JAIA. All of this is done with the understanding travelers may never know the effort it takes behind the scenes.
The scope of keeping the Central Passenger Terminal Complex (CPTC) in tip-top shape and consumers satisfied is near immeasurable. AATC, in its quest to surpass expectations and create an unrivaled airport experience for passengers, had to build an advanced AMS to help it manage its numerous building systems, business processes, and procedures efficiently and effectively.
Becoming the first international airport in North and South America and globally the eighth international airport, to achieve certification is a nice feather in the cap to have – but, more importantly, having the best AMS in place to continuously improve the customer experience is the true outcome achieved by AATC. ISO 55001 is just the first step.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
