When the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic struck much of the world in late February 2020, this editorial was in final draft form.

Now in early June, as the worst of the first epidemic surge wanes in the UK, we have reflected and updated its content accordingly below.

Ensuring success when managing unexpected airway difficulty relies on being adequately prepared.

A ‘prepared airway practitioner’ has been described as one who ‘performs safe airway management, displaying skill, knowledge and a full awareness of human factors, within a culture of safety … ’, and such practitioners ‘should aim for expertise rather than mere competence’.

 This statement highlights the three main components of preparedness: the culture of safety relating to institutional preparedness, human factors relating to team preparedness, and skill, knowledge, and expertise relating to personal preparedness.

Without all of these, an airway practitioner's ability to achieve reliable success when managing unexpected airway difficulty will be impaired.

One important facet of preparedness is optimising equipment and its use.

The 4th National Audit Project (NAP4) highlighted equipment issues—the appropriate range of equipment, its immediate availability, and the skills and experience to use it—as significant contributors to adverse outcomes in airway management.