Outstanding effort!

Airports big and small across the world have been recognised for their customer experience excellence throughout 2023 in ACI World’s annual Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards.

There are plenty of familiar names and a number of new ones honoured in the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards for 2023, with the winning airports ranging from small domestic airports handling only a few hundred thousand passengers a year to megahubs welcoming in excess of 100 million passenger per annum.

The winners include Dakar Blaise Diagne (Senegal) and Marrakech (Morocco) in Africa; Beijing Daxing (China), Gimpo (South Korea) and Singapore Changi (Singapore) in Asia-Pacific; Rome Fiumicino (Italy) and Barcelona (Spain) in Europe; Quito (Ecuador) and Los Cabos (Mexico) in Latin America; Muscat (Oman) and Amman (Jordan) in the Middle East; and Toronto Pearson (Canada) and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta (USA) in North America.

As usual, the award categories included ‘Best Airport by Size and Region’ and ‘Best Airport at Arrivals Globally’ as well as the newly introduced categories of ‘Airport with the Most Dedicated Staff’, ‘Easiest Airport Journey’, ‘Most Enjoyable Airport’ and ‘Cleanest Airport’.

Worth noting is that in 2023 over half of the world’s travellers passed through an ASQ airport, underscoring the programme’s credibility and influence in shaping the standards for exceptional airport services.

In addition nine airports won ASQ Awards in all five departure categories – Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport (Africa); Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport and Yogyakarta International Airport (Asia-Pacific); Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport and Rome Fiumicino (Europe); Guayaquil International Airport (Latin America); Salalah Airport (Middle East); and Greenville-Spartanburg and Gerald R Ford international airports (North America).

Also, eight airports have been inducted into the ACI World Director General’s Roll of Excellence  – a recognition given to airports that have won multiple ASQ awards over a five-year period in the last 10 years.

The inductees are:
– Shenzen Bao’an International Airport
– Chandigarh Airport
– Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport
– Muscat International Airport
– Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
– Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport
– Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport
– Zagreb International Airport
View full list of winning airports

ACI World director general, Luis Felipe de Oliveira, said: “We are delighted that in 2023 the ASQ programme surpassed 400 participating airports in a historical record – reflecting our members’ commitment to placing the passenger first. Likewise, we thank the guests that dedicated their precious time by providing feedback in close to 600,000 surveys.

“The global growth of the programme underscores the trust placed in its scientific and live approach, making ASQ the go-to standard for airport customer experience assessment in the aviation industry.”

Best by Size and Region

In Africa, Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport (CMN) and Marrakech (RAK) were joint top in the 5-15mppa category; Blaise Diagne (DSS) in Senegal and SSR International Airport (MRU) in Mauritious once again couldn’t be separated in the 2-5mppa section; and it was a similar story for Tanzania’s Abeid Amani Karume (ZNA), Madagascar’s Ivato (TNR) and Kenya’s Moi (MBA) international airports in the Under 2mppa Award.

Speaking about the ASQ success of Zanzibar’s Abeid Amani Karume International Airport, director of aerodromes for Egis/SEGAP, Rob Williams, said: “This achievement celebrates our collective teamwork and our commitment to excellence in terms of customer experience. We are honoured to receive this recognition which raises the profile of Zanzibar Airport and the islands as a destination”.

The winners were also straightforward in the Middle East, where once again Salalah (SLL) in Oman, Queen Alia (AMM) in Amman, Jordan, and Oman’s Muscat International Airport (MCT) won the Under 2mppa, 5-15mppa and 15-25mppa categories respectively.

Reflecting on Queen Alia International Airport being named ‘Best Airport by Size and Region: Middle East’ for the second successive year and eighth time in its history, Nicolas Deviller, CEO of operator Airport International Group (AIG), believed the award served as a testament to the airport’s “steadfast commitment to delivering a seamless and memorable customer experience in line with our strategic goals for 2023-2025”.

He added: “This recognition would not have been possible without the dedication of Airport International Group teams, partners and stakeholders to excellence, alongside our close partnership with the Government of Jordan, represented by the Ministry of Transport. Together, we shall continue to innovate and push the envelope, exceeding the expectations of those at the heart of everything we do; our passengers.”

In Latin America & Caribbean, Los Cabos (SJD) in Mexico, Punta Cana (PUJ) in the Dominican Republic and Quito (UIO) in Ecuador stood out from the rest in the 5-15mppa category.

Quiport president and CEO, Ramón Miró, who also saw UIO named the Cleanest Airport in the region, said: “These awards are not only a cause for joy for our airport, but they are also important because they reinforce the confidence of passengers in the quality of our services.

“Additionally, they inspire us to continue innovating, implementing best practices and continually seeking ways to further raise the standards of excellence in the airport industry.

“I want to express my sincere gratitude to each member of our team and the airport community, whose effort and dedication have made these achievements possible. These recognitions are a reminder that, together, we can reach the highest peaks and continue to be a benchmark in aviation on a regional and international scale.”

Elsewhere in Latin America & Caribbean, Guayaquil (GYE) in Ecuador and Guanajuato (BJX) in Mexico shared the honours in the 2-5mppa category, as did Guanacaste (LIR) in Costa Rica and Hermosillo (HMO) in Mexico in the Under 2mppa section.

In North America, Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta (ATL) and Toronto Pearson (YYZ) were recognised as the best airports handling Over 40mppa, and LaGuardia (LGA) and Minneapolis/St Paul (MSP) shared top spot in the 25-40mppa category.

LaGuardia’s ASQ success is particularly satisfying for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), which by its own admission has seen the airport go from “worst in class to best in class in a stunning reversal of fortunes”.

“There is no better judge of our new airports than the passengers who use them, which is why the ASQ award for best airport going to LaGuardia is so meaningful,” said Port Authority chairman, Kevin O’Toole.

While PANYNJ’s executive director, Rick Cotton, enthused: “Taking LaGuardia Airport from worst to best is now more than just an aspiration, it’s an accomplishment that passengers have now resoundingly recognised.

“When we started out on our $8 billion transformation of LaGuardia, few believed we could create the world-class airport our region deserves. But the ASQ Award proves that seeing is believing.”

Other successes in North America included Tampa (TPA) and Dallas Love Field (DAL) sharing the 15-25mppa crown and Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky (CVG), Indianapolis (IND) and Louis Armstrong New Orleans (MSY) doing likewise for airports welcoming 5-15mppa.

The awards were much more spread around across Asia-Pacific and Europe with multiple winners in most Best by Size categories.

Five and six airports respectively won awards in both the 5-15 million and Over 40mppa categories in Asia-Pacific, for example, the triumphant airports in the latter being Mumbai Chhtrapati Shivaji (BOM), Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN), Incheon (ICN), Delhi-Indira Gandhi (DEL), Shenzhen Bao’an (SZX) and Singapore Changi (SIN).

While in Europe, seven airports could not be separated in the 5-15mppa category – Rome Ciampino (CIA), Belgrade Nikola Tesla (BEG), Izmir Adnan Menderes (ADB), Keflavík (KEF), Milan Linate (LIN), Porto (OPO) and Thessaloniki (SKG) – and six received awards in the Under 2mppa section – El Hierro (VDE), Girona-Costa Brava (GRO), Reus (REU), Murcia (RMU), Almeria (LEI) and Inverness (INV).

Commenting on its Best by Size award and additional award for having the Most Dedicated Staff in Europe, Inverness Airport’s general manager, Graeme Bell, stated: “Winning the Best Airport in Europe award for the fourth consecutive year is an extraordinary honour that reflects the unwavering dedication and tireless efforts of our exceptional team.

“We are profoundly grateful to every member of our staff, our valued concessionaires, and our trusted partners for their relentless commitment to excellence. This prestigious accolade is a testament to their collective passion and professionalism, which continues to elevate the travel experience for all our passengers.”

TAV Airports notes that four of its European airports received ASQ awards. Izmir Adnan Menderes (in all five departure categories), Milas-Bodrum, Skopje and Zagreb, whose award for ‘Easiest Airport Journey in Europe’ secured its place among eight airports listed in the ACI World Director General’s Roll of Excellence.

TAV Airports chief operating officer, Kürşad Koçak, commented: “It brings us great joy to announce that four of our airports have been acknowledged among the world’s best airports for their exceptional customer experience quality, as determined by direct evaluations from passengers across various categories.

“With our skilled workforce and wealth of knowledge, we have established ourselves as a preferred brand in airport management globally. I extend my pride to all our employees whose efforts have contributed to this remarkable achievement.”

About the ASQ programme

The ASQ programme, conducted in partnership with travel technology company Amadeus, is considered the most accurate and reliable customer experience measurement and benchmarking programme globally as it is anchored in live research conducted through surveys
at the airport on the day of travel.

Indeed, the ASQ Surveys cover over 30 performance indicators across key elements of the passenger’s airport experience, giving the most complete picture of the passenger experience journey.

This distinctive methodology is renowned for its robustness, enabling meaningful statistical inference and providing unparalleled insights into the passenger experience.

ACI World and Amadeus will celebrate the 2023 ASQ Awards winners and  the ACI World Director General’s Roll of Excellence inductees at the prestigious ASQ Awards Gala Dinner during the  2024 ACI World Customer Experience Summit and Exhibition in Atlanta, USA, on September 23-26.