Sheremetyevo International Airport has received the Formula of Movement national award for “best PR-coverage in the current year” in the area of transport and transport infrastructure. The award ceremony took place on November 20, 2020 as part of the business program of the XIV Transport of Russia International Forum and Exhibition.
The jury recognized media coverage of Sheremetyevo’s comprehensive preventive measures, which were implemented jointly with Rospotrebnadzor, the Moscow City Department of Health, and the Ministry of Health for Moscow Region, to protect the health of passengers and personnel and prevent the spread of the coronavirus infection as the best PR project.
During the pandemic, Sheremetyevo Airport assumed the primary burden of servicing flights arriving from the countries of epidemiological concerns, since at that time it was the only Russian airport that provided evacuation flights.
From March to September, Sheremetyevo Airport received 236 evacuation flights from New York, Paris, Frankfurt, Tel Aviv and other cities, which allowed more than 50,000 Russian citizens to return to their homeland. The most difficult flight was a Royal Flight on July 20 carrying 197 Russians, as well as citizens of Ukraine and Kazakhstan, from seven African countries. For the period from January to October, the cargo operator Moscow Cargo handled 18,500 tons of cargo with drugs and medical equipment, 67.8% more than during the same period in 2019.
The most important communication tasks of the airport during the pandemic were:
Communicating the comprehensive preventive measures being taken by Sheremetyevo to prevent the spread of the coronavirus infection;
Coverage of anti-crisis measures taken by the management of Sheremetyevo aimed at protecting and retaining the workforce and preserving the company’s potential to restore regular operating activities, support employees, and ensure the uninterrupted regular operation and financial stability of the airport;
Promoting Sheremetyevo as an effective cargo hub for handling humanitarian and medical cargo, as well as cargo-only flights;
Positioning Sheremetyevo as the first airport in the world to launch an express COVID-19 test service, done jointly with RDIF.
Between January and October 2020, a series of high-profile press events of various formats were held at Sheremetyevo Airport in each of these areas with the participation of the management of SVO JSC and interacting government organizations. These measures and press events produced at total of 316 television reports and 19,177 online and print articles.
The effectiveness of Sheremetyevo’s anti-epidemiological measures has been repeatedly confirmed in inspection tours and audits of the leadership of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, the Federal Air Transport Agency, Rospotrebnadzor and Moscow Region.
“We are grateful to the competent jury for the high assessment of our activities in media coverage of preventive measures at Sheremetyevo Airport and the dedicated work of employees and doctors who protect the health of our passengers and guests,” said Anna Zakharenkova, Director of Public Relations for JSC Sheremetyevo International Airport. “I would especially like to thank the representatives of the media for their high level of organization, professionalism and creative approach, as well as the press services of specialized state organizations and medical institutions. Together we have conducted important informational campaigns for the benefit and in the name of protecting the health of all citizens of our country.”
The annual Formula of Movement National Award for Achievements in the Area of Transport and Transport Infrastructure was established in 2014 by the Public Council of the Ministry of Transport of Russia.
The award is designed to promote the development of transport infrastructure, improve the level of transport services and stimulate government and commercial structures to solve significant problems in the transport sector.
