ZANZIBAR: ZANZIBAR’S Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (AAKIA) has recently been ranked among the top twenty busiest airports in Africa based on scheduled daily departures. This achievement comes as a result of ongoing reforms initiated by President Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi.
The latest rankings, updated last Wednesday and published on flightsfrom.com, show Johannesburg in South Africa leading with 236 daily flights. In East Africa, Nairobi (Kenya) ranks fourth with 122 flights daily, while Dar es Salaam is tenth with 73 flights. Zanzibar follows closely with 72 daily flights.
This ranking considers only scheduled passenger flights, excluding freighters and chartered flights.
“We are thrilled with the rapid development of Zanzibar’s AAKIA since President Mwinyi’s reforms began in 2021. The involvement of private companies has significantly boosted the airport’s operations. We must celebrate and commend the President for this achievement,” said Ms Mulhat Said, Public Relations Manager of the Zanzibar Airports Authority (ZAA), at a press conference on Friday.
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Ms Said also announced that AAKIA has received RA3 approval for cargo handling, indicating that the airport meets the necessary security standards for managing cargo and mail. She emphasised the impressive development of the airport, noting that Airports Council International (ACI) has recognised it as one of the top performers globally.
ZAA is set to receive an award at the 2024 ACI World Customer Experience Summit and Exhibition in Atlanta, USA, scheduled for September.
Additionally, AAKIA won the 2023 Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Award for Best Airport under two million passengers in Africa.
This award reflects the combined efforts of Egis, joint venture SEGAP1, ZAA and the airport staff.
The ASQ award is based on independent customer experience surveys conducted at the airport. Travelers rate their satisfaction on the day of travel, covering 30 performance indicators related to passenger experience, such as wayfinding,
check-in processes and shopping options. Zanzibar Airport joined the ACI ASQ programme in September 2022, following an initiative by SEGAP Compliance Manager Melody Laurençot aimed at enhancing passenger satisfaction, business performance and overall airport service quality.