• Quito airport received a World Travel Award for the second year running.
• The awards are regarded as the Oscars of the Tourism Industry.
• Corporación Quiport works on several fronts to continuously improve the levels of service provided to the users and passengers of the airport.

Quito, 11 October 2015. For the second consecutive year, the Mariscal Sucre International Quito Airport has won the World Travel Awards in the category of South America's Leading Airport. These awards are regarded as the Oscars of the Tourism Industry given that they are the most prestigious awards on a global scale in this area of activity.

At a gala ceremony which took place on Saturday October 10th at the Teatro Colón in Bogotá, Colombia, Andrew O’Brian, President and Director General of Corporación Quiport (the concessionaire of the Mariscal Sucre Airport) received the trophy which accredits Quito Airport as a Leader in South America.

This award celebrates the work carried out by Mariscal Sucre Airport on three principal fronts: increasing connectivity, improving services and operating with the highest security standards, with very satisfactory results, which are acknowledged by our passengers and by the industry.

“What matters most is that behind each area of airport service are the persons who, on a daily basis, strive to deliver the best of themselves for the benefit of the users and passengers of the airport”, Andrew O’Brian stated, and he added that “thanks to the work of all of these individuals the industry has focused its attention on what is occurring with regards to Quito Airport, whose leadership in the region was already acknowledged last year and was ratified this year, demonstrating that our commitment to the city is permanent”.

The World Travel Awards organization rewards positive contributions to the development of the tourism sector on a local and international scale in each of the categories. The selection of a winner is made through an open and global voting process, with a special feature whereby votes by persons involved in the tourism industry count as two votes.

We continue to grow

With regards to connectivity, Mariscal Sucre Airport registered a total of 5.8 million passengers in 2014. Without a doubt the new routes offered by Tame to Fort Lauderdale and New York and the start of operations by VivaColombia on the Quito – Bogotá route have significantly contributed to this growth, which directly benefits tourism in the city and the country. From Quito Airport it is possible to reach 18 international destinations and 13 domestic destinations.

Regarding services, the airport has taken firm steps to significantly improve the experience of passengers who pass through its facilities on a daily basis.

The main project connected to the improvement of services is Phase 2A expansion of the passenger terminal, which was inaugurated on May 18th. This area, measuring almost 8,000 square metres, has allowed the capacity of the airport to be increased to 7.5 million passengers per year and to significantly improve the quality of services provided to our domestic passengers.

Comfort and friendly service are the characteristics of the new domestic departures area, from the entry point via the Boulevard Rialto, a shopping area designed to recreate the traditional architecture of the city at the airport, to the modern and wide departure lounges where passengers can find charging points for mobile devices, free Wi-Fi and a children’s play area.

It is also important to highlight the improvements that have been made to facilitate airline check-in processes. The airport has 24 self check-in kiosks which are connected to 9 of the 11 passenger airlines that operate from Mariscal Sucre Airport.

Together with the growth of connectivity and services, work is permanently carried out to guarantee secure operations. Thanks to constant coordination with airlines and with the Directorate of Civil Aviation, the airport operates within the most rigorous security parameters of the industry. To this can be added improvements to operational infrastructure such as the installation of the additional runway lighting system, a visual aid which enables pilots to easily identify the airport runway in conditions of reduced visibility.

All these factors have placed Mariscal Sucre Airport at the forefront of airports in the region, and the tourism industry has acknowledged this by designating it as South America´s Leading Airport.