KUALA LUMPUR – KL International Airport (KLIA) made Malaysia proud in the CAPA Awards for Excellence in Asia Pacific Aviation 2014 when it won the Large Airport of the Year Award. The award ceremony was held at a Gala Dinner yesterday at CAPA’s Asia Aviation Summit and LCC Congress staged in Singapore.
Managing Director of Malaysia Airports, Datuk Badlisham said, “We are indeed delighted to win this award as it further elevates KLIA’s status within the global aviation industry. This award acknowledged KLIA as the fastest growing major airport in Asia Pacific, reflected through KLIA’s 19% growth in passenger movements last year. In terms of aviation growth, the Asia Pacific region is certainly thriving where it is expected that half of the world’s air traffic growth in the next 20 years will come from within this region.”
Peter Harbison, CAPA’s Executive Chairman who presented the award also said, “KLIA is a worthy winner of the large airport category. It grew passenger traffic by 19% in 2013, making it the fastest growing major airport in the Asia Pacific region and the only airport in the region’s Top 10 to register double digit growth. It has been a pioneer in attracting LCC transit traffic, an important new sector with huge potential and in May this year opened a new state of the art terminal designed specifically for low-cost and hybrid carriers. KLIA has become a pioneer in offering a hybrid solution in today’s dynamic and highly competitive industry and in offering a new model of connectivity.”
Datuk Badlisham added further, “Our plan is to continue driving innovation and intensifying our collaborative efforts with airlines and the Malaysian government in order to bring in more traffic into the country. This award not only signifies Malaysia Airports’ achievement but also that of Malaysia as well.”
The CAPA Awards for Excellence is unique because it is not driven by customer surveys, popular votes or sponsorship. They are independently researched by CAPA’s leading team of analysts and subsequently selected by an independent international panel of advisors.
Established in 1990, CAPA-Centre for Aviation is the leading provider in independent aviation market intelligence, analysis and data services, covering worldwide developments.
CAPA’s Aviation Awards for Excellence are intended to reward airlines and airports that are not only successful but also have provided industry leadership in adjusting to new environment. At a time of industry upheaval, the winners are adopting strategies that offer new directions for others to adopt.
This award is another major highlight for KLIA after it was voted the second best airport (serving 40-50 million passengers) in the Skytrax 2014 World’s Airport Awards, a most prestigious accolade for the world airport industry, earlier this year.