By Salem Lorot
Nairobi Kenya’s Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) has won the best airport in Africa in the just concluded World Route Airport Marketing awards 2012 in Abu Dhabi UAE.
The Routes Airport Marketing Awards are the world's most prestigious Airport Awards because they recognize excellence in the air service industry by airports and are voted exclusively by the airlines themselves.
Accra International came second in the Awards.
Now at its fourth time of win, the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) was voted because of developing and maintaining positive and productive relationships with other airlines, especially in the areas of customer service, marketing and business development.
Receiving the award on behalf of Kenya Airports Authority Managing Director Eng. S. M. Gichuki was the Airport Manager JKIA Mr. Edward Kobuthi and Ms Lucy Mbugua, General Manager Marketing and Business Development. While thanking the airlines for their unwavering support, they assured them that the board and management had put in place a strategic plan focused on safeguarding our competitiveness through provision of quality facilities and services, increasing airport capacity and building relationships.
“This award validates that Kenya Airports Authority has intimate knowledge of JKIA customer needs as the airport has witnessed unprecedented growth of 10.7 % in passenger traffic, 5.8% in Aircraft traffic and 16.8 % increase in Cargo.” They added
In the year 2011/2012 international route planners within the airline industry have introduced twenty new city pairs from JKIA and increased each of their frequencies by 40%. Jomo Kenyatta International Airports success can without a doubt be attributed to the quarterly customer satisfaction surveys, and the product improvement exercise, that have formed a platform for accessing the service delivery. The product improvement exercise targets all the customer contact points from entry to the airport, checking-in, security, lounges, shopping, boarding, arrival procedures, landscaping as well as cargo.
Winners of the 2012 World Routes Marketing awards were announced on the 1st of October 2012 at the Routes Gala Networking dinner in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The awards included five regional categories: Europe, Africa, CIS, Asia, the Americas and for the first time Airports with a traffic of under 4 million passengers. The awards are given to airports that have shown excellence in route marketing and whose dedication to route development is exceptional.
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Photo Credits: trcwest.com
Salem Lorot is a lawyer currently pursuing a post-graduate diploma in law. He is a published poet with a running blog, echoes of the hills, a writer and an avid reader. He has written extensively on a wide range of issues on law and society. He is a connoisseur of the music in East Africa, fashion, cuisine and his regular staple is the entertainment industry with the manifold twists and turns. His interests are informed by themes of social justice and interactions with diverse groups in Kenya.
