20 April 2012
Second only to Vancouver in Best Airport between 10 and 20 million passengers
Awards part of 2012 Skytrax World Airport awards
Auckland Airport was named for the fourth year in a row the Best Airport in the Australia / Pacific region at the 2012 World Airport Awards held at the Passenger Terminal EXPO in Vienna overnight, and was also awarded Best Staff Service for the Australia Pacific region.
Auckland also came second globally to Vancouver in the Best Airports by "size of Airport", for airports handling 10 to 20 million passengers annually.
Simon Moutter, Chief Executive of Auckland Airport said, "Auckland Airport is extremely proud to have been recognised on the global stage in the Skytrax World Airport Awards for the fourth year in a row as the best airport in Australia Pacific. We are especially pleased to have reclaimed the award for Best Airport Staff Australia/Pacific.
“It highlights once again that the focus of everyone across the entire airport on making journeys better continues to benefit the end consumer and help us shine in the eyes of passengers. Making journeys better is the sum of many different parts, from cleaners to Customs, from airlines to Aviation Security, from border agencies to baggage-handlers – everyone plays a part."
“Our focus on expanding the quality and range of products and services for consumers across all parts of the airport experience has been very well received by passengers, who appreciate having more choice and options. We have invested in a number of innovations over recent years that have directly benefited the passenger by streamlining the processing part of the journey, therefore providing more time and choice,” said Mr Moutter, “and that focus will continue.”
Edward Plaisted, Chairman of SKYTRAX, said, "We congratulate Auckland on their success at this year's awards. Winning both the Best Airport Australia/Pacific and Best Airport Staff Service in Australia/Pacific is a real statement of quality in terms of both product and service standards. Overall, we have seen an improvement in performance for several major airports in this category and Auckland should be pleased that it is still considered the premier airport in this region."
Incheon International Airport in Seoul scooped the title as the World's Best Airport for 2012, with Asian airports dominating the awards, as six of the top ten positions are awarded to airports across Asia.
Auckland Airport’s General Manager Retail & Commercial, Adrian Littlewood, said, “We’re grateful to all the passengers who voted for us, and to the entire Auckland Airport community who work so tirelessly delivering world-class customer service. Friendly kiwi service is one of the things that makes New Zealand such an attractive tourism destination, and it makes a genuine difference in growing New Zealand travel, trade and tourism for the benefit of consumers and the economy.”
“We are committed to continuing to build more international connections, develop innovations, find efficiencies and improve the passenger experience wherever we can. There are some challenges ahead, we know that the domestic travel experience at Auckland lags behind the international travel experience – our longer-term plan is to lift the performance there as well. But we’re ready for the challenge.”
Ends
For further information, please contact:
Richard Llewellyn
Corporate relations manager
+64 9 255 9089
+64 27 477 6120