ACI Europe honours top airports

Gavin Lipsith

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Frankfurt, Athens and Marseille airports are among the winners at ACI Europe's inaugural Best Airport Awards

ACI Europe has recognised the best airports in the region in a new awards ceremony held for the first time at its annual congress in Munich on June 24. The Best Airport Awards—which focus on a range of disciplines including retail, security, operations, facilities, community relations, environmental awareness and customer service—were presented to airports in five categories ranging from less than 1m passengers to more than 25m.

Frankfurt International airport took the prize for airports serving more than 25m passengers, and was praised by judges for its "outstanding approach to environmental management". In the next category, 10m-25m passengers, Athens International airport's performance during the Olympic Games 2004 was recognised, with the airport actually improving flight punctuality despite a dramatic increase in passengers.

In the 5m-10m category, Marseille Provence airport won the award for its efforts to adapt to the low-cost model and its new branding. Riga International airport won the 1m-5m category and was praised as a good example of a new EU member state airport taking full advantage of the opportunities presented by accession. In the under 1m category, Sarajevo International airport was praised for its continuous development despite difficult circumstances in the past 10 years.

The awards were presented by ACI Europe director–general Roy Griffins.