What do you do if your airport's reputation is in shambles after a major failure?

1. I'd start with the "5 Whys" to get to the root of the failure. Not digging deep enough will not yield a true & lasting solution. 2. Take responsibility for the failure & offer counter-measures/solutions to remedy the problem while holding people accountable 3. Communication, internal & external, is key. Keep all key stakeholders, especially those most affected, informed in a positive & constructive manner without playing a blame game or deflecting. 4. Use the failure as an opportunity to learn & cause major improvements to the airport's value proposition to all in/external stakeholders.

Rebuilding an airport's reputation after a major failure requires a strategic and comprehensive approach to regain trust and confidence from passengers, stakeholders, and the public. Here's a step-by-step plan to address the situation: Acknowledge the Failure: Communicate Transparently: Apologize and Make Amends: Conduct a Thorough Investigation: Implement Corrective Measures: Rebuild Trust Through Actions: Engage with Stakeholders: Launch a Reputation Recovery Campaign: Monitor and Evaluate Progress: Learn and Adapt:

1. Start with confessing to yourself what has actually gone wrong in your airport. 2. Communicate with the stakeholders and public via available channels to inform the failure. 3. If known, inform them about the reason/s of the actual breakdown. 4. Don’t try to hide anything from the public unless it’s a matter of National Security. 5. Give them an estimated time for recovery if the breakdown was in your crisis plans. 6. Finally, do not hesitate asking for help from the government authorities if you really need so.

Learnings should be maximised and systematised, for instance by developing learning points not just at individual level but also at system level, looking at man-machine process design and the working environment, for instance. Case studies should be developed. The airport's Enterprise Risk Management framework and risk indicators should be updated. A "Just Culture" is key, where staff are not unduly punished for actions/omissions done in line with their training and experience, unless there is gross negligence or deliberate violations. With such a culture in place, staff will be more open to reporting incidents and hazards so that measures can be taken to analyse and address such risks to avert bad outcomes in future.

Regardless of whether the reputation is a result of ramp side or curb side operations, you need to consider the stakeholders that are affected and communicate with them accordingly. For those internal stakeholders there needs to be a higher degree of transparency that identifies potential root causes and encourage corrective action feedback from all operations personnel. For external stakeholders going into full crisis communications mode might be counterproductive and give a sense of hiding something. I would offer an objective and critical analysis of the problem along with an explanation of what corrective actions, expected outcomes, and timelines to allay concerns to customers, staff, and management. In that order.

Ask, "Why did this happen?" and don't stop after the first answer. Ask till you have a deep and honest overview. Don't shy away from uncomfortable answers. All crisis communication will fail if the same happens again or if the statements to the public seem superficial, shallow and dishonest. And when you know what really caused the incident, fix it.