Malta International Airport is among the winners of Airport Council International's prestigious Airport Service Quality awards, claiming the title Best Airport in Europe in its size category.
Airports Council International announced the winners last week, following the rating of 346 airports worldwide by more than 650,000 departing passengers throughout 2018. The main aim of the ASQ awards is to recognise airports that go the extra mile to provide their guests with nothing short of an excellent service and equally outstanding terminal facilities.
While 2016 and 2017 saw Malta International Airport come in third and second place respectively, an all-time high passenger satisfaction score for 2018 pushed the airport to the very top rank of a group consisting of 35 peers, each hosting between five and 15 million passengers annually.
The Best Airport in Europe award gains further significance in light of the fact that the company's vision is that of offering the best airport experience in Europe.
"At a time when the customer experience is becoming an increasingly important aspect of what a business has to offer, it is extremely rewarding to see that our passengers have once again expressed their satisfaction with the service delivered as they travelled through our airport, leading us to win the coveted Best Airport in Europe award," said Malta International Airport CEO Alan Borg.
Borg went on to thank the team of around 3,000 employees and stakeholders working on the airport campus for understanding the importance of aligning their everyday efforts to the company's value of service excellence to shape airport journeys that exceeded passengers' expectations even on the airport's busiest days.
In fact, at 4.37, Malta International Airport's overall passenger satisfaction score during peak season, stretching from July until September 2018, was significantly higher than the European average of 3.98. The airport also achieved particularly high passenger scores on indicators including courtesy of airport staff, terminal cleanliness and its La Valette lounges.
Malta International Airport is sharing the Best Airport in Europe award with seven airports, considered to have delivered a top-notch service in 2018, in the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Russia and Iceland.
While congratulating the winners, Airports Council International World director Angela Gittens said: "The Airport Service Quality Awards celebrate the achievements of airports in delivering the best customer experience and represent the highest possible accolade for airport operators. These airports have responded to the evolving needs of passengers to deliver higher levels of service and an award-winning performance."