Incheon International Airport has maintained its global edge as the airport ranked No. 1 in the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) survey, an annual evaluation organized by the Airports Council International (ACI), for the 10th year in a row.
Incheon Int'l Airport maintained the top position in global rankings of the ASQ survey from 2005 to 2014. The airport won the category “Best Airport in Asia-Pacific” and in the category “Best Airport: more than 40 Million Passengers” in the 2015 ASQ survey.
In particular, Incheon Int'l Airport’s ranking in the category “Best Airport: more than 40 Million Passengers” is significant as the airport competed with prominent airports such as Singapore Airport and Beijing Airport. Incheon Int'l Airport saw its passengers surpass 40 million in 2013, so it was reclassified into the category of large-sized airports for the 2015 survey. The 2015 awards ceremony coincided with the 2015 ACI Asia-Pacific Assembly that took place April 27 to April 29 in Amman, Jordan.
“Incheon Int'l Airport achieved a record that no other airport has accomplished — ranking first 10 years in a row in the most prestigious ASQ survey, thus rising to a world-class brand,” Incheon International Airport Corp. President Park Wan-soo said. “Incheon Airport does not rest on its laurel and some 40,000 airport family members will make concerted efforts to make another leap forward to rise to a global hub port.”
ACI conducted the latest ASQ survey by conducting one-on-one interviews with 550,000 passengers that used airports around the globe in 2014. ACI announced the outcomes of the survey on satisfaction in 34 categories, including airport employees’ hospitality and facility cleanness, and others related to service, facility and operation, last February in which Incheon Airport got 4.97 points out of the possible 5 points.
After Incheon’s decade-long run at the top of the podium, the next best was Dubai Airport’s three-year run between 2001 and 2003.
Incheon Int'l Airport said the accomplishment is owed to its 40,000 employees, who remain dedicated around the clock. The airport is recognized abroad for maintaining the No. 1 position without any accidents, while handling some 340 million passengers, 24 million tons of cargo and 222,000 flights during the 10-year period.
ACI Director General Angela Kittens applauded Incheon Airport, saying that the airport has upped the ante of service levels of airports around the world, adding that Incheon Int'l Airport not only ranked 1st in terms of service, but also achieved a remarkable record with no accidents since its debut. Kittens cited Incheon Airport’s excellence in airport operation and airport employees’ dedication.
Incheon Int'l Airport has become the subject of envy. USA Today claimed that U.S. airports should learn from Incheon Airport. Rossiy Skaya Gazeta, an influential Russian daily, lauded Incheon Airport, saying that the airport is “flawless in all aspects of operation.” In particular, London Heathrow Airport, which denied a request from Incheon Airport’s benchmarking before the opening of the latter, sent its officials to make observation tours to Incheon Airport in 2009, a testimony for the Korean airport’s remarkable growth. About 7,000 officials around the world have so far toured Incheon Airport to learn some valuable lessons. Incheon Airport is seeking to make joint marketing activities and make inroads into foreign markets in accordance with proposals on strategic partnerships from Aeroports de Paris Group of France and Schiphol Group of the Netherlands.
Incheon Int'l Airport has seen its passengers grow 6.7 percent annually on average since its opening in 2001, ranking it eighth in terms of passengers and second in terms of international freight. Forty-seven airlines flew to 109 cities from Incheon Airport initially, but the airport had 90 airlines servicing 181 cities around the world as of March.
Incheon Int'l Airport chalked up 10.1 percent in annual international passenger growth rate in 2014, the sole airport with a double-digit increase among airports with more than 40 million passengers. The airport registered 9.6 percent in aggregate average growth, quite higher than 3.5 percent for the other 28 largest airports across the world.
The airport has even higher aims. It aspires to expand its business portfolios to includes multi-purpose airport city development.
On April 20, IIAC signed an MOU with Mohegan Sun, a U.S. casino group, on the construction of a large-scale, integrated resort on the IBC-II district of Incheon Airport, attracting a total of $5 billion in foreign direct investments. Ground was broken for the “Paradise City” development project comprising a hotel, a foreigner-only casino and a convention center on the IBC-I district late last year. If the airport multi-purpose city is developed successfully, Incheon Airport is poised to lay a foundation to become a global hub that will spur aviation demand, just like as Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Chek Lap Kok Airport and Changi Airport.
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