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The International VIP Lounge at the Quito airport complements its offer of quality service and excellence with the opening of a new outdoor area: it is a terrace that offers a large outdoor space with a warm and modern decoration, to provide a greater sensation of freedom and comfort to the passengers. 

The new terrace of the International VIP Lounge has an area of ​​300 square meters, where it is possible to serve at the same time and comfortably, to 52 passengers, who will be able to enjoy a more pleasant experience with food and beverage service, common outdoor area with parasols and comfortable seats for rest, TV area and an incomparable wide view of the landscape that surrounds the capital's airport. The project was designed by Corporación Quiport with the support and creativity of the company INStudio.

Each element placed on the terrace was designed to leave a reminder to the traveler of what Quito represents. The textures and materials have main elements that symbolize nature such as wood and the shapes of the leaves, at the same time contrast perfectly with the concrete plates that represent the cities, while the turquoise tones of each element are reminiscent of the sky of Quito, in its characteristic blue tone and golden tones allude to the churches and their characteristic gold coverage.

The entrance to this new outdoor space is dominated by a sculpture named El Viajero (The Traveller), made by the sculptor Daniel Espinosa, which symbolizes the dedication that Quiportgrants to all travelers who pass through the country, while the path to the viewpoint represents the way of the traveler towards new experiences, giving as a last look at the best that Quito and its natural elements offer travelers upon departure.

During the inauguration of this space, which was attended by authorities from public institutions, airlines and private companies, Ramón Miró, president and CEO of Quiport, stated: "As those responsible for the administration of the Mariscal Sucre Airport, we are always looking for opportunities to deliver better services and raise our quality standards. We want to continue leading the way within the region's airport industry and this is one more step in our efforts to maintain excellence in service. That vision is what has made us leaders in the airport sector in Latin America.”

Katya Bastidas, manager of the Metropolitan Public Company of Airport Services, pointed out: “Today we are witnessing how the Mariscal Sucre International Airport in Quito is reactivating with great optimism to provide more and better services to passengers, users and also contributing to the productive and economic development of the country. The implementation of the terrace of the International VIP Lounge allows us to show Quito as a city strengthened with the resilient capacity that has always characterized us. We extend congratulations to all those who made this project possible, which is committed to the city, to the country, which shows the best of this traditional, modern, diverse and warmfull Quito to welcome our visitors.”

• Mariscal Sucre Airport achieved level 4 accreditation (out of a possible 5) in the Airports Council International's Passenger Experience Accreditation program.
• Accreditation is granted after an audit of more than 20 airport activities.

In recent years, airports have attached greater importance to the experience they offer to their passengers and, precisely to encourage airport terminal managers to work more proactively and creatively to improve that experience, the Airports Council International (ACI), launched the Passenger Experience Accreditation in 2018.

Quito's Mariscal Sucre International Airport has participated in this program since its creation and has recently achieved level 4 accreditation (out of 5 possible) and is currently the only airport in the world at this level, surpassed only by Incheon airport. in South Korea, which is at level 5.

The accreditation that certifies level 4 for the Quito airport was delivered on September 14 within the framework of the ACI World Global Passenger Experience Summit that takes place in Krakow, Poland.

To grant level 4 accreditation to Quito airport, ACI carried out an audit that verified compliance with more than 20 activities in 8 dimensions of airport service that include knowledge of passenger characteristics, strategy, measurements, operational improvements, governance, airport culture, innovation and collaboration with the airport community.

Level 4 in the Passenger Experience Accreditation means that Corporación Quiport, as responsible for managing the airport, meets five key conditions:

• Incorporate customer service policies into your overall strategy.

• Know the profile of your passengers.

• Measures the level of satisfaction.

• Implement improvements and new services considering the real needs of passengers.

• Shares information with commercial operators and government agencies that provide service at the airport and involves them in initiatives to improve the passenger experience.

One of the main innovations carried out has been the adoption of Service Design Thinking, a methodology that seeks to create services by improving the quality and user experience under a philosophy of continuous improvement based on the feedback given by the users themselves. Quito airport is one of the pioneers in the industry worldwide in incorporating this methodology, which has 5 phases:

• Empathize

• Define

• Ideate

• Prototype

• Evaluate

In short, it is about understanding the needs or aspirations of the passenger, defining them properly, devising a possible solution, creating physical or virtual prototypes to be tested by the passengers and after evaluating the results, changes are made based on the opinions and finally the project is implemented.

Another point highlighted by the ACI audit is Quiport's personnel hiring and evaluation policy. For these processes, the customer service attributes of the company's employees are considered.

Ramón Miró, President and CEO of Quiport, the company that manages and operates the Mariscal Sucre airport, explained that: “The work was carried out throughout the year and incorporated the coordinated actions of different areas of the company to guarantee that the solutions that we propose throughout the passenger journey through the terminal, are not only adapted to their needs, but also exceed their expectations”.

“This achievement is based on Quiport's DNA of always providing an excellent service to passengers, an approach that comes from the will of our shareholders, as well as the full conviction of all our collaborators, and is shared with our commercial operators and with government entities," he stressed.

Katya Bastidas, general manager of the Metropolitan Public Company of Airport Services (EPMSA), pointed out that: “With no doubt, at Quito's Mariscal Sucre International Airport there is a synergy that allows teamwork among all of us who are part of it. of this great family: the Municipality of Quito, EPMSA, Corporación Quiport, airlines, commercial and government operators”.

The main authority of the EPMSA sent "congratulations to each of the people who work at this airport, and who contribute with great commitment and empowerment to deliver the best of this beautiful city to the world."

“The successes that we are reaping constitute a motivation to continue walking together towards the achievement of more goals, for more tourism and productivity for the capital”, he concluded.

• The cargo company will operate two weekly flights between Quito and Miami with Boeing 747-400 airplanes.

• The new operation aims to increase the supply of capacity for the export of flowers and other products.

The company Choice Cargo, General Sales Agent, commercial representative of Kalitta cargo company, began operations with the aforementioned airline at Mariscal Sucre International Airport in Quito. The company has two weekly operations on Tuesdays and Fridays, using Boeing 747-400 aircraft with a cargo capacity of 100 tons and moves cargo from Quito to Miami International Airport hub from where it is distributed to various destinations in the United States and other places in the world.

“Choice Cargo is pleased to announce that from august 2022, we started operations at Mariscal Sucre Airport in the city of Quito with two cargo charter flights with B747 aircraft in the Quito-Miami route, to provide greater capacity to the Ecuadorian market, thus supporting its growth in exports and imports to and from the United States with the highest quality standards, taking care of the logistics chain of each of the products we transport, in order to contribute to the development of the country and the region. ”, said Diego Íñiguez, CEO of Choice Cargo.

Kalitta made the decision to operate in Ecuador due to the growth of the market towards the United States and the different destinations in Europe, Asia and Oceania. Choice Cargo developed the entire study about the market, considering the main seasons of demand. The quality of the Ecuadorian flower is highly appreciated in the international market, which is why there is a need to have more capacity in terms of flights in order to contribute to the growth of exports.

Ramón Miró, President and CEO of Corporación Quiport, said: "The start of operations of Choice Cargo in the Ecuadorian market represents a very important advance in terms of the offers of space to export cargo leaving Quito. The flower sector, our main user, has registered a significant increase in terms of its production and its ability to place Ecuadorian flowers on international markets, and this cargo operation will help us meet the needs of exporters."

In addition, Quiport's senior executive pointed out that the moment chosen by Choice Cargo to enter the country is optimal, since these five remaining months of the year 2022 will serve to consolidate the airline's operation for the high season of Valentine's Day 2023, which will start in mid-January next year.

In total, the fleet of Kalitta airline has 24 Boeing 747-400 freighters, which means that, during the high export seasons in Quito, it can have additional flights depending on demand.

Skytrax, the main organization that evaluates the service offered by airports and airlines worldwide, announced on Thursday, June 16th, the winners of the World Airport Awards in the different categories. Quito's Mariscal Sucre International Airport was recognized as the Best Regional Airport and Best Airport Staff in South America. These awards are in addition to the 5-star rating given to the airport by Skytrax in March this year and the 5-star rating for safety and security measures against COVID 19.

It is the 7th consecutive year that Quito Airport has been awarded as the Best Regional Airport in South America, a category that only includes airports that have their main component of direct connectivity within the same region.

“Maintaining the great performance of Mariscal Sucre Airport in the highest standards of service to our passengers is a task which we are all involved. We remain at the forefront among the airports in the region, which drives us to continue working with the same passion. I want to congratulate the Quiport team in particular, because despite the great difficulties caused by the pandemic, their professional performance has been incredible. In addition, I thank to all the private companies and government organizations that operate and provide services at the airport, and that have supported us now and always”, said Ramón Miró, President and CEO of Quiport.

The main executive of the company that manages and operates the Mariscal Sucre Airport in the Ecuadorian capital referred in a special way to the award for the best airport staff in South America. “This is a recognition that belongs to the airport collaborators. Ecuadorians stand out for their kindness and inclination to offer a warm treatment to the traveler, in addition to their great work ethic. All of us who work at Quito Airport are committed to provide our passengers with a positive experience under any circumstance”, he affirmed.

For her part, Katya Bastidas, general manager of the Public Airport Services Company (EPMSA), stated that: “As the Metropolitan Municipality of Quito, through the Metropolitan Airport Services Company (EPMSA), responsible for monitoring compliance with the commitments acquired by the concessionaire and airport security, we are pleased to know that we are providing our city and passengers around the world with high standards of service, which in turn shows the capital of Ecuador to the world with all its potential and the warmth of its people.

“The synergy and teamwork between the Municipality of Quito, airport concessionaire, airlines, commercial operators and government institutions have been important to ensure that passengers choose our airport as a leader and renew the 5 stars that would not be possible without collaborators. committed and with firm values ​​to achieve joint goals. We consider this award as a challenge to continue improving every day as the Airport of the beautiful city that we represent”, added the official.

The World Airport Awards were launched in 1999, when Skytrax launched its first global airport customer satisfaction survey. The awards are considered benchmarks of quality for airports around the world, evaluating customer service and facilities at more than 500 airports.