Airport worker who visited injured passenger in hospital daily for two weeks lauded

SINGAPORE - Every day for about two weeks, Certis Aviation Security service operations executive Haresh Chandran visited a patient at Changi General Hospital. The patient was neither a friend nor a family member, but an airline passenger.

On Dec 22, 2022, Mr Haresh, now 36 years old, received a call from an employee at Changi Airport Group telling him that an 87-year-old German passenger had a fall at Changi Airport Terminal 1.

As a result, the passenger, who dislocated her hip, and her husband missed their flight back to Germany, and she had to be admitted to hospital.

Mr Haresh promptly arranged for an ambulance to take the passenger to Changi General Hospital in Simei and arranged accommodation at a nearby hotel for her husband.

Mr Haresh also told the airline about the woman’s circumstances, and the fees to rebook their return flight were waived.

In recognition of his service, Mr Haresh was on Feb 5 awarded the Service Personality of the Year award for 2023 at Changi Airport’s 29th Annual Airport Celebration held at the Raffles City Convention Centre. It is the airport’s first full-scale ceremony since the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

Not wanting the couple to feel alone, Mr Haresh visited them daily, forking out money to travel to the hospital from work and from his home in Bishan at times.

He also celebrated Christmas with them before he started his work shift, as he understood the importance of the occasion to the couple.

Mr Haresh told The Straits Times that his struggle from a young age with dyslexia, a learning disorder affecting reading, spelling and writing, has enabled him to put himself in the shoes of others who are struggling.

“It can be anybody and anywhere. If they ask for help, obviously I will be there to assist them. Because I know – when I had dyslexia – how hard it was. Not everyone believes in you; you’ve got to believe in yourself.”

Other award winners on Feb 5 included human resource solutions firm P-Serv’s project executive Sky Tan, 31, who won the Outstanding Service Staff (Gold) award for 2023.

On Nov 29, 2022, Mr Tan received a call for help from a Chinese national. She said her friend had booked a journey between Hong Kong and Nadi, a city in Fiji, for her son and his girlfriend with a layover in Singapore.

The entry visas they applied for to clear immigration in Singapore had, however, been rejected. Mr Tan then recommended that they apply for tourist visas, which were later approved.

He also requested to work an extra shift of 12 hours on what was meant to be his day off, so he could receive the passengers, in case they needed help clearing immigration.

“I was quite surprised. I never thought of having this award because, on a day-to-day basis, we assist a lot of passengers,” Mr Tan said.

Mr Haresh and Mr Tan were among 34 award winners lauded at the ceremony.

They received their awards from Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat.

Speaking at the event, Mr Chee said that the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) would commission an aviation sectorwide manpower study in the coming months.

With insights from the study, the authorities will work with aviation firms and unions to equip workers with the skills they need.

CAAS aviation industry director Angela Ng told ST the study will determine the medium- to long-term labour demand and supply for the aviation sector, including “opportunities for workforce transformation”.

She said it will also help CAAS and other key parties in the industry to “plan for the future of the aviation workforce”.

After losing about a third of its workers during the pandemic as air travel ground to a halt, the air transport sector has since rebuilt its workforce to more than 95 per cent of pre-Covid-19 levels.

Mr Chee said that as air traffic returns, the airport’s operating environment will become busier, and it is crucial to prioritise workers’ well-being and to support airport operations well.

He added that companies must build a “strong culture of trust”, so workers feel empowered to point out safety issues or areas for improvement and changes can be made early.

Company resources should also be devoted to building strong support systems for workers, to help them deal with stress and work challenges.

The aviation industry must also provide opportunities for growth and progress, as those are what workers seek in a career, said Mr Chee. In addition, the jobs offered must be re-examined, so that the sector stays competitive in a fast-changing global environment.

Mr Chee also stressed the importance of partnerships.

To prepare Changi Airport for the future, greater collaboration will be needed between various parties to explore innovations, such as automation, he added.