Incheon Airport marks 10 years at the top

DEAD SEA, Jordan ― The global airport industry celebrated Incheon International Airport’s unprecedented achievement in airport services at the 2015 airport service quality award ceremony hosted by Airports Council International here on Tuesday.

ACI, the biggest association of the world’s airports, hosted the annual event, following its announcement of the 2014 ASQ survey results and 2015 award recipients in February.

The Korean airport was the best performer in the 2014 ASQ survey, the only global measurement for airport customer satisfaction, by earning 4.97 points out of 5.

With the result, Incheon Airport set a global record of offering the world’s best airport service for 10 years in a row.

“It is the first-of-its-kind achievement in the airport industry,” Incheon International Airport Corp. CEO Park Wan-su said in a press meeting held before the 2015 ASQ awards ceremony.

“The airport’s quality services have been a benchmark target, and I am proud of the company’s contribution to raising the bar in global airport services.”

According to the company data, about 7,000 airport officials around the world have visited the Incheon Airport to benchmark its customer experience programs for the past year.

“Incheon made it possible to set global standards in airport services as the operator understands that it is the entire airport community that is experienced by the passenger, not just the features and services provided by the airport operator,” ACI’s governing board chairman Frederick Piccolo said in an email interview.

“For this reason, Incheon involves all aspects of airport service providers, including government authorities located at the airport, in its striving for excellence in customer service.”

On top of the achievement, the Korean airport received two awards at the 2015 ASQ awards ceremony, in the categories of airports by region and by size. In 2014, it was the top-performing airport in the Asia-Pacific and among big airports, which see more than 40 million passengers per year.

“With the annual ASQ survey, we have turned into a global airport offering world-class customer satisfaction. Based on the success, we are seeking a new vision for growth beyond the airport operation in an effort to present another standard for the airport industry,” Park said.

As a case in point, the Korean airport operator has pushed for a project to build a multifunctional airport city near the airport.

The company also seeks to export its airport construction and management know-how, which will accelerate not only growth but also globalization of the organization.

By Seo Jee-yeon, Korea Herald correspondent

(jyseo@heraldcorp.com)