Corvera Airport Murcia has received two prestigious European awards from Airports Council International. The Aeropuerto Internacional Región de Murcia (as it is officially known in Spain) was named a winner of the “Airport Service Quality” award (in the category for European airports with fewer than two million annual passengers) and, for a second consecutive year, it was also honoured for “Best Hygiene Measures in Europe”, in recognition of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Both awards were based on the views of customers surveyed during 2021. The best airport distinction (also obtained by two other Spanish airports, Valladolid and El Hierro) covers such aspects as access, facilities, the friendliness of airport staff, security, quality gastronomy and waiting times for security controls.
For the best hygiene award, passengers were asked to rate measures including health controls, social distancing markers, protective screens, hand sanitiser dispensers, the obligatory use of masks and a constant supply of information for airport users. Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat, Pamplona, Reus, Seve Ballesteros-Santander and El Hierro airports were also honoured with this award.
All measures at airports in the Aena network (including Corvera Airport Murcia) have been implemented in accordance with the airport operator’s “Operative Recuperation Plan” which, since April 2020, has strictly applied recommendations by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
Airports Council International (ACI) represents more than 500 airports in 55 countries, and its members facilitate over 90 per cent of commercial air traffic in Europe.
Listening to Customers
Last month, Corvera Airport Murcia was also one of 200 airports worldwide honoured with ACI’s “The Voice of the Customer” award. According to the council, the award recognises airports that have continued to prioritise listening and adapting to customers during the pandemic.
“The pandemic has caused substantial changes in human behaviour,” said ACI world director general Luis Felipe de Oliveira, “and provoked a whole new set of expectations affecting how products and services should be experienced – from a prioritisation of health to increased digitalisation such as contactless touchpoints.
“The Voice of the Customer highlights the ongoing commitment of airports to understanding the evolving expectations of the end user, the travelling public, in these challenging times.”