Incheon Airport's success unparalleled
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Park Wan-su, right, CEO of the Incheon International Airport Corp. (IIAC), poses with Angela Gittens, center, director general of the Airports Council International (ACI), and IIAC labor union leader Jang Ki-wook at the awarding ceremony of the Airport Service Quality award by the ACI at the Jordan Valley Marriott Resort and Spa in Dead Sea, Jordan, after taking the top airport position for 10th straight year, Tuesday. / Courtesy of IIAC
ACI head Rick Piccolo recognizes Incheon’s integrated service
Rick Piccolo, head of the ACI World Governing Board
By Kim Rahn
DEAD SEA, Jordan ― Each country has its flagship international airport.
Such an airport is a gateway to the country, and thus airport operators try to offer the best services and facilities that can become one of the keys to the success of the country’s international business and tourism industry.
With each airport doing its best, it may not be easy to be named the “world’s top airport” even once.
Incheon International Airport in Korea has held the top airport title for 10 straight years, an unparalleled record.
The airport topped the global ranking of the 2014 Airport Service Quality (ASQ) assessment by the Airports Council International (ACI) for the 10th consecutive year since 2005. The awards ceremony was held at the Jordan Valley Marriott Resort and Spa in the Dead Sea, Tuesday, as part of the ACI Asia-Pacific Regional Assembly, Conference and Exhibition.
Incheon was also selected as top performer in Asia-Pacific region, and also best among large-sized airports that deal with more than 40 million passengers annually.
Rick Piccolo, chair of the ACI World Governing Board, said the Korean airport has good reasons for the record achievement.
“Incheon understands that it is the entire airport community that is experienced by the passenger, nor just the features and services provided by the airport operator,” he told Korean reporters.
“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,” he said.
Piccolo said that despite the high quality, Incheon keeps trying to get better, which also gives impetus to other airports around the world.
“Excellence in customer service is baked into the airport’s culture. This healthy competition is good for airports worldwide as it leads to improved service for passengers on a global scale.”
The chairman visited Korea in 2014 for the ACI Asia-Pacific/World Assembly through Incheon airport. Commenting on his experience at the airport, Piccolo said Incheon was so perfect that he didn’t find anything that required improvement.
“The movement through the airport was very quick, with all formalities conducted in a courteous manner; the facilities are well designed and kept very clean; it was easy to navigate through the airport, with way finding simple and intuitive,” he said.
He noted that competition among airports would become fiercer, saying it will require more efficient and cost-effective visa, security and customs processes for passengers and goods.
For Incheon which has strong competitors in neighboring China and Japan, Piccolo advised the airport to work with the airlines and government to plan and develop facilities and services to meet the future air service needs of Korea.
“It has been our pleasure to work with Incheon _ they are always ready to help others and they serve as an excellent role model. I congratulate them on their continued success and we are grateful for their contributions to our organization and the industry,” he said.
The ASQ assessment was made through interviews of 550,000 airport users across the world on 34 items including employees’ helpfulness, cleanliness of facilities, convenience in services and facilities management.
Incheon obtained 4.97 points out of the full mark of 5. It is the only airport to hold the top position for 10 years. The previous record was Dubai International Airport’s three years from 2001 to 2003.
In the 2014 ranking, Incheon was followed by Changi Airport in Singapore and Beijing Capital International Airport.
About the unprecedented record in the renowned ASQ assessment, Park Wan-su, CEO of the Incheon International Airport Corp. (IIAC), said, “We’ll not be satisfied with the current position but will keep trying to have a second takeoff to become a global hub airport.”
He said cooperation among businesses and government agencies operating in the airport was the key to success, as the airport holds regular meetings of all related parties such as customs and immigration offices and carriers to share passenger complaints and discuss how to deal with them.
“While other airports remained at the first stage of airport operation, meaning just offering air transportation, Incheon led the second stage, that is active service,” Park said. “Now others are following in the second stage, so Incheon will have to open a third stage: beyond offering services within the airport, it will be providing services beyond the airport, such as making access easier and developing nearby areas into a leisure complex.”
Since its opening in 2001, the number of passengers using Incheon has grown 6.7 percent annually.
Forty-seven airlines connected Incheon with 109 cities in 2001, while the number soared to 90 airlines and 181 cities as of March this year.
Incheon had a 10.1 percent growth in the number of international passengers last year, the only airport to have double-digit growth among large-sized airports that deal with more than 40 million passengers annually.
This year as well, the airport has seen a 15.7 percent increase in the number of users. The number of transfer passengers, which dropped last year from the year before, is rising again, according to the IIAC.
The airport is building a second terminal and other facilities to cope with the growing number of passengers with completion scheduled for 2017.