Story: Della Russel Ocloo
Kotoka International Airport (KIA) has been adjudged the best African airport at the Sixth Routes Airport Marketing Awards held in Bamako, Mali.
The KIA emerged winner following a competitive and rigorous selection and screening process by a panel of eminent global airport experts at the awards ceremony which was held on the sidelines of the Routes 2011 Conference.
With the winning of the award, the KIA joins other finalists such as the Entebbe International Airport in Uganda, the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya, and the Sikuphe International Airport in Swaziland for the overall Airport Marketing Award of the World Routes scheduled for Berlin, Germany, in October this year.
Routes Africa is an annual air service development forum for airports, airlines, tourism authorities and key decision makers for the African region.
The sixth edition provided a platform for airlines to meet with airports to discuss route development and explore the potential for new air services to, from and within Africa.
The event, put together by the United Business Media (UBM Aviation), a United Kingdom-based aviation firm, in partnership with the African Airlines Association (AFRAA), the Airline Association of Africa (AASA) and the Airports Council International (ACI) Africa, sought to reward airports that had distinguished themselves in infrastructural development, the adoption of modern airport technology, adherence to safety and security standards, new routes and human capital development, as well as good service delivery.
Nominated airports submitted details of their route development activities and results, which were scrutinised by a panel of judges.
The judges gave scores to the submissions based on route development content, evidence of relationship with airlines, innovative ways of marketing to airlines, results, effectiveness and creative application.
A citation accompanying the award said, “KIA has distinguished itself in service delivery, development of new routes, and in 2011 alone attracted four major airlines from the USA and Europe to Ghana.”
It further stated that “the astute leadership exhibited by the management of the Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL), adherence to global best practices in safety and security, as well as continuous improvement in handling facilities, with priority on the development of its human capital, were unmatched by any other airport in Africa”.
Giving an insight into the award in an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday, the Managing Director of the GACL, Mrs Doreen Owusu-Fianko, said teamwork and combined tireless efforts in delivering excellent service were major contributors to the global recognition, adding, "We feel so proud to have won the prestigious award."
She paid glowing tribute to the board, management and staff of the company for working together to achieve such a feat.
She hinted of the management's decision to embark on ambitious plans aimed at attracting more global airlines to the country, in line with the agenda of “making Ghana the gateway to Africa”.
"We want to develop as a hub and our geographical location has similarly offered us an enviable position to be able to offer links to every continent across the board," she said.
She said the company had embarked on an aggressive two-year strategic programme aimed at connecting Ghana to South America and the Caribbean, which had been identified as a missing network on its routes.
Mrs Owusu-Fianko was optimistic that the honour would feverishly encourage officials of the GACL to achieve the target of developing into new markets.
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