EUROPE. Airports association ACI Europe has revealed the winners of its annual Best Airport Awards, presented at a Gala Dinner during this week’s Annual Congress, hosted by AENA Aeropuertos in Madrid. The winners were selected from a number of submissions made to the judging panel, featuring a group of independent experts including ACI Asia Pacific, Eurocontrol, ECAC and the Disabled People’s Association (Denmark).
The ACI Europe Best Airport Awards cover four categories of airport – defined by level of annual traffic – and aim to recognise achievement in customer service, retail, security and corporate responsibility. A separate award is devoted to airports’ environmental efforts.
In the 1-5 million passenger category London City Airport (www.LondonCityAirport.com secured the prize, with judges paying tribute to its “austerity-defying strong traffic growth, service quality delivery and in particular for its ultra-efficient “˜door-to-gate’ passenger processing times”.
Among airports counting 5-10 million passengers annually Edinburgh Airport was judged the best, thanks to its strong focus on the customer and responsiveness to feedback.
Hamburg Airport was the winner in the 10-25 million passenger category, cited for its environmental and local community work alongside its “excellent intermodal connectivity”.
Among Europe’s largest airports, counting traffic of 25 million and above, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol was named Best Airport – the third time in four years that the Dutch hub has won such recognition. Explaining the award, ACI Europe noted “the airport’s delivery of excellent services and facilities” allied to “[a] consistent commitment to its corporate responsibilities, be it to persons with reduced mobility, the environment, or to the local community in which it operates”.
The Eco-Innovation Award, judged by the independent Advisory Board of Airport Carbon Accreditation, was given to Manchester Airport, said to display “a passion for environmental innovation”.
The following airports received honourable mentions in the four main categories: Dubrovnik Airport (less than 5 million passengers); Alicante Airport (5-10 million); Moscow Sheremetyevo (10-25 million); and Barcelona El Prat (over 25 million).
The awards were presented to the winning airports by ACI Europe Director General Olivier Jankovec, World Duty Free Group CEO José María Palencia, Iberia Executive SVP Commercial and Customers Manuel Lopez Aguilar, ACI Asia Pacific CEO and Malaysia Airports CEO Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad Abdul Majid and Eurocontrol Director General David McMillan.
This year’s ACI Europe Annual Congress draws to a close in Madrid today. Next year’s event will be hosted by TAV Airports in Istanbul and held on 10-12 June 2013.
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Top to bottom: senior representatives of the airports of Amsterdam Schiphol, Hamburg, Edinburgh, London City and Manchester accept their awards at last night’s presentation during ACI Europe’s Annual Congress in Madrid |
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