Unguja. The Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (AAKIA) has won the Best Airport under two Million Passengers in Africa award.
The annual Airport Service Quality (ASQ) awards by Airports Council International (ACI) recognize airport excellence based on passenger feedback collected through daily surveys in departure and arrival areas worldwide.
The awards cover various categories including Most Dedicated Staff, Easiest Airport Journey, Most Enjoyable Airport, and Cleanest Airport.
The awards, presented by the ACI, were officially announced on March 11, 2024. The director-general of the Zanzibar Airports Authority (ZAA), Mr Seif Abdalla Juma, attributed the achievement to various efforts by the government to attract significant investment in the sector.
It is noteworthy that the government of Zanzibar entered into agreements to operate the airport with private firms on November 24, 2021, aiming to enhance passenger and cargo services with a focus on safety.
Among the improvements, in April 2022, the airport began using Passenger Boarding Bridges (PBB) for boarding and disembarkation and implemented Visual Docking Guidance Systems (VDGS) to assist pilots in parking aircraft without the need for ground marshals, enhancing efficiency and convenience.
The quality of the bridges, which enable passengers to move seamlessly from terminal to aircraft, significantly reduces inconvenience.
ZAA officially joined ACI in October 2022 with the aim of assessing its services, particularly in the area of departing passengers.
According to Seif, after training its staff, ZAA began to see overall improvements in the first quarter of 2023, ranking fifth out of 17 airports in Africa for service delivery.
The authority expects to formally receive the award on September 25, 2024, at the annual Customer Service Conference and Exhibition in Atlanta, USA.
Mr Seif emphasized that this move has brought significant and historic changes to Zanzibar’s aviation sector during his leadership.
“Services are excellent from reception to boarding the plane. They deserve the award,” said Jasmin Mzee, a passenger utilizing the airport.
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