JKIA voted best marketed airport in Africa

By John Oyuke

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) has once again won the prestigious Routes Airport Marketing Award-African category. The win underscores the approval by the airports customers – the airlines – of the efforts being made to improve capacity and image of the hub

JKIA – currently the biggest airport in East and Central Africa – was voted the best marketed airport in Africa for the fourth time at the 18th World Routes Airport Marketing Award 2012, held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday.

The airport, which has direct connections to Europe, Middle East, Far East and Africa, has won the award previously in the year 2008, 2009 and 2010.

This year’s awards included five regional categories: Europe, Africa, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Asia and the Americas. And for the first time, it’s also included Airports with a traffic of fewer than four million passengers.

Best in Africa

JKIA beat Accra International Airport, Ghana, Entebbe International Airport, Julius Nyerere International Airport and Mombasa International Airport to take the award.

Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) Corporate Affairs Manager, Dominic Ngigi, said the Authority is delighted at receiving the award, as it is indicative of importance of the Airline – Airport relationship.

He said the Routes Airport Marketing Awards are the most prestigious Airport

Awards in the world, because they recognise excellence in the air service industry by airports and are voted exclusively by the airlines themselves.

Positive relationships

“In voting for airports, the airlines consider the efforts airports place on developing and maintaining positive and productive relationships with them, especially in areas of customer service, marketing and business development,” he said.

Airport Manager JKIA, Edward Kobuthi and KAA General Manager Marketing and Business Development, Ms Lucy Mbugua, received the award on behalf of KAA Managing Director Stephen Gichuki.

They thanked the airlines for their unwavering support and assured them that the Authority had put in place a strategic plan focused on safeguarding the airports competitiveness through provision of quality facilities and services, increasing capacity and building relationships.

“This is a wonderful recognition of the achievement of our aviation marketing team over the past year.  To be recognised for our hard efforts by this industry’s peers is even more rewarding,” they said in a statement.

They said that the award validates that Kenya Airports Authority has intimate knowledge of JKIA customer needs.

They added that the airport – the focal point for major aviation activity in the region – has witnessed unprecedented growth of 10.7 per cent in passenger traffic, 5.8 per cent in Aircraft traffic and 16.8 per cent increase in Cargo.