Ghana’s Kotoka International Airport (KIA) has, for the second time, topped the ranking as Africa’s ‘Best Airport By Size and Region’ with a passenger population of between two and five million by the ACI’s Customer Experience Award.

The ACI World revealed the winners of its world-renowned Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards on Monday, March 1, 2021.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a dramatic impact on global passenger traffic in 2020 as well as changing customer perceptions and expectations of the airport experience.

Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, airports managed to collect ASQ surveys from their customers throughout the year and 108 awards have been won by 89 individual airports around the world.

Based on new hygiene related questions added to the survey questionnaire, ACI has introduced a new award – ‘Best Hygiene Measures by Region’ – of which there are 33 inaugural winners.

This award provided airports with a reliable method of gauging customer response to new health measures and recognizes airports’ success in responding to the intense focus on hygiene. 

The new category also complements ACI’s Airport Health Accreditation programme, launched last year, which has resulted in more than 275 airports being accredited already.

“ACI’s Airport Service Quality awards represent the highest possible accolade for airport operators around the world,” ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira said. “This year more than any other, the awards recognize those airports that have listened to their customers and adapted the services and experiences they offer to meet changing needs and expectations under very trying circumstances.

“I am proud of the achievements of all ASQ award winners which shows their focus on delivering excellence in customer experience and setting an example of excellence for their peers. As we come together as an industry to meet the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the focus on customers that the ASQ programme provides will help guide the way.”

The Awards which were released in Montreal, Canada, also recognise the largest number of winning airports ever this year.

KIA was among the first time winners, joining consistent winners such as Indianapolis International Airport, Beijing Capital International Airport, Singapore Changi Airport, Toronto Pearson,  among a host of others.

The Airport Service Quality programme is the world’s leading airport customer experience measurement and benchmarking programme. The ASQ Departures programme measures passengers’ satisfaction across 34 key performance indicators. In 2019, more than half of the world’s 8.8 billion travellers passed through an ASQ airport.

Airport Service Quality (ASQ)

ACI’s Airport Service Quality (ASQ) is the world-renowned and globally established global benchmarking programme measuring passengers’ satisfaction whilst they are travelling through an airport.

The ASQ programme provides research tools and management information to better understand passengers’ views and what they want from an airport’s products and services.

It seeks to make airports become more competitive and increases passenger satisfaction by providing them with the necessary edge over their competitors.

Across the globe, passengers are demanding higher levels of service. Likewise, regulators are paying closer attention to airport service provision and quality of service.