2012-10-16 — /travelprnews.com/ — Employees at Istanbul Ataturk Airport operated by TAV Airports has started getting training to learn sign language in order to assist hearing impaired passengers to benefit from all services offered at the airport. The training provided by TAV Academy in collaboration with the Federation of Hearing Impaired will be expanded to cover all service areas from security to ground handling.
A leading global Turkish brand in airport operations, TAV Airports has now started to train its employees on sign language as part of the “obstacle-free airport project” that it has been conducting. The training sessions which are conducted in collaboration with the Federation of Hearing Impaired was launched with a ceremony held today. 250 employees will get the training in the first instance, which is given by TAV Academy, keeping to the syllabus provided by the Federation. At the end of the project, all airport employees will have the basic sign language training covering all areas of service from security to ground handling.
Speaking at the ceremony, TAV Istanbul General Manager Kemal Unlu said “With the work that has been carried out at Ataturk Airport, the entrance gate to Turkey, we are ensuring that our disabled guests receive the same services equally and at the highest standards, that are available to other visitors at all points. As TAV Airports who considers passenger satisfaction as top priority, we take on a leading role in this area in order to offer all services needed by our guests. We are happy to take another step towards eliminating obstacles at Ataturk Airport through this collaboration we went into with the Federation of Hearing Impaired.”
The President of the Federation of Hearing Impaired Muammer Ay said “As a civil society organization who conducts various activities to enable hearing impaired get involved in the society fully, we are happy to work in cooperation with TAV Airports. We took another step in this respect with the sign language training program we materialized at Ataturk Airport.”
According to data published by Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT), 37 people in every thousand have hearing impairment. In August, Istanbul Ataturk Airport has qualified to receive its “obstacle-free airport” certificate from the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA) as a result of the extensive works carried out since 2009. The project had been developed by TAV Istanbul in consideration of national and international legislations and standards.
TAV Academy which is owned by TAV Group, one of the brands creating the highest level of employment in Turkey, focuses on four main subjects; leadership and skills development, airport operations, professional and personal development, and university sector cooperation. The academy also hosts students from regional countries serving as one of the training centers of Airports Council International (ACI) Europe; the largest platform of airports operators.
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