The 11th ACI EUROPE Best Airport Awards winners: Matthew Hall, CCO London City Airport; Ulrich Stiller, Director Marketing & Sales, Cologne-Bonn Airport; Pietro Modiano, President, SEA Aeroporti di Milano; Giulio De Metrio, COO SEA Aeroporti di Milano; John Holland-Kaye, CEO London Heathrow Airport; and Torsten Hentschel, Managing Director, TH Airport Consulting.
The winners of the 11th ACI EUROPE Best Airport Awards were announced last week during the gala dinner of the 25th ACI EUROPE General Assembly, Congress & Exhibition, hosted by Prague Airport. The awards cover four categories of airport, by size, and recognise achievement in core activities, including customer service, facilities, retail, security, community relations, and environmental awareness. This year’s judging panel comprised a well-respected group of independent experts drawn from EUROCONTROL, European Commission, European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC), European Travel Commission (ETC), and Air Transport World.
Winner in the ‘under 5 million passenger’ category was London City Airport, which was recognised for its investments in key areas to reduce passenger waiting times, its development of long-term strategic airline partnerships, and its commitment to environmental awareness. The two commended airports in this category were Cork Airport and Tallinn International Airport.
Philippe Merlo, Director ATM, EUROCONTROL, presented the award in the ‘under 5 million passenger’ category to Matthew Hall, CCO London City Airport.
This year’s award in the ‘5-10 million passenger’ category went to Cologne-Bonn Airport. The judges remarked on the airport’s innovation with regards to the customer experience, its high degree of environmental action, and its strong relationship with the local community. The commended airports in the ‘5-10 million passenger’ category were Budapest and Glasgow.
Ulrich Stiller, Director Marketing & Sales, Cologne-Bonn Airport, accepted the award in the ‘5-10 million passenger’ category from Eduardo Santander, Executive Director, European Travel Commission.
Milan Malpensa Airport was victorious in the ‘10-25 million passenger’ category, winning praise from the judges for its new infrastructure and enhanced services to boost the passenger experience. The airport was also recognised for its dedicated initiatives to welcome Chinese travellers, and the integration of art exhibitions promoting Italian and international culture. The two commended airports in this category were Hamburg Airport and Brussels Airport Company.
SEA Aeroporti di Milano COO Giulio De Metrio and President Pietro Modiano received the award in the ‘10-25 million passenger’ category from Victoria Moores, European Editor, Air Transport World.
In the category for the biggest airports, with ‘over 25 million passengers’, the award went to London Heathrow Airport. The judges highlighted its success in opening Terminal 2: The Queen’s Terminal last year, its integration of operations for passengers with reduced mobility, and its air traffic management advancements that have enhanced airport performance. The commended airports in the ‘over 25 million passengers’ category were Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport.
John Holland-Kaye, CEO London Heathrow Airport, accepted the award in the ‘over 25 million passengers’ category from Matej Zakonjšek, Head of EU Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc’s Cabinet. London Heathrow also won the Eco-Innovation Award.
In addition to these four awards by category of airport, there was also an Eco-Innovation Award and a WBP Recognition Award. The Eco-Innovation Award is determined by the independent Advisory Board of the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme. This was awarded to London Heathrow Airport for its energy efficiency efforts, its groundbreaking research on aviation noise, and its forward planning on environmental issues.
Finally, the WBP Recognition Award was presented to Torsten Hentschel, Managing Director of TH Consulting, following his active participation and invaluable contributions to the ACI EUROPE Facilitation & Customer Services Committee, as well as the Taskforce on the Passenger Experience.
Torsten Hentschel, Managing Director, TH Airport Consulting, received the WBP Recognition Award from Arnaud Feist, CEO Brussels Airport Company and outgoing President ACI EUROPE.
