Christchurch Airport Wins Prestigious Award

Last night Christchurch International Airport Ltd (CIAL) won one of the four prestigious Regional Airport Marketing Awards, after global voting at the Routes Airport Marketing Awards in Beijing, China. These awards are considered the world’s most prestigious airport awards because they are voted on by airlines themselves. The global forum was attended by over 4000 delegates from leading airlines and airlines around the world.

The regional competition included many other international airports in Asia. “The award reaffirms that CIAL’s marketing and business development programmes are seen as among the best in the world by international airline management,” said CIAL Chief Executive Jim Boult.

The other regional winners were Athens, Jomo Kenyatta and Dallas airports, which won the Europe, Africa and Americas awards.

CIAL also won the Oceania and Asia Pacific Airport Marketing Awards in March this year, voted by airlines from within this region. Both these awards recognise the effort that CIAL has put into attracting new, and maintaining existing, airlines to Christchurch Airport, as part of its strategy to position the airport as New Zealand™s tourism gateway.

Jim Boult said the awards were a great achievement for CIAL, particularly in an environment where most airports are focused on the retention of existing air routes, rather than the development of new airline services.

Mr Boult said a lot of credit for the award needed to go to CIAL’s airline partners.

“The airline relationships that our team have built are critical to our route development strategy. We work closely with airlines throughout our region and around the world to ensure that New Zealand is on the radar and in the running for airline development opportunities.

“The awards recognise that Christchurch is a fantastic proposition for the development of new airline services, and we are committed to the further growth of these services into New Zealand’s tourism gateway,” he said.

The awards are judged on airport marketing, relationship management and route development strategies, and are presented following an airline voting process.

CIAL’s true point of difference is its overwhelming involvement in tourism marketing, through initiatives including the joint promotion of the South Island by working with airlines, tourism offices and wholesalers, ensuring tourist numbers continue to increase into the South Island.

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