Airport News

Airport News

Schiphol Group has announced the six winners of the 2011 Schiphol Aviation Awards, which recognise “clients and business partners who have distinguished themselves from other companies at the airport in terms of their innovative business management or positive performance”.

Ad Rutten, executive vice president and COO of Schiphol Group unveiled the winners yesterday (4 April), awarding Vueling first prize in the Airline of the Year Award Europe category for achieving 38% growth over the last year while significantly improving its punctuality. The airline was also praised for its intensive marketing campaigns in order to raise its profile amongst potential Dutch and Spanish travellers.

The winner of the Airline of the Year Award North & South America category was KLM for its effective marketing campaign, which resulted in the launch of new routes, including Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires and Havana.

Chinese Southern Airlines were ranked first place in the Airline of the Year Award Asia category following the successful introduction of direct flights to Guangzhou and increased frequency of its flights to China. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol also lauded the airline for its deployment of the latest Airbus 330-200 and its intensive promotional campaigns in the Netherlands.

The Airline of the Year Award Africa & Middle East top spot went to Corendon Dutch Airlines, a new Dutch airline that operated its first flight to Dalaman on 30 April 2011. Operating as part of the Corendon Group, Corendon Dutch Airlines was recognised for its successful transportation of passengers to various destinations around the Mediterranean Sea.

Schiphol Group awarded the Passenger Ground Handling Award to Servisair for its excellent performance in the area of operational handling, its customer-friendly attitude and effective cooperation in day-to-day operations.

And finally, the Cargo Award was presented to AirBridgeCargo Airlines for its solid growth over the past year and its investment in fleet renewal, including the introduction of the Boeing 747-8. It was also praised for launching new routes to Russia and the USA.

According to Schiphol Group, the Schiphol Aviation Awards are awarded in various categories based on geographical segmentation, with an emphasis on the quality and diversity of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol's global network of airlines and destinations. Category winners are selected based on the following criteria: punctuality, growth, innovation and marketing effort.