DOHA: Some 100 senior delegates from airports around the world will gather at the ASQ Airport Forum for Asia, Middle East and Africa which opens at Oryx Rotana Hotel today.
The three-day event hosted by the Doha International Airport (DIA) will explore best practices related to passenger satisfaction.
This is the annual meeting of participants in the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Programme. The forum will share expert insights on how airports may improve the quality of service provided to passengers, as well as to address the challenges and opportunities in relation to passenger satisfaction.
The key topics on the agenda include airport security, smoking policies, airport cleanliness, wireless Internet provision, and a look at what passengers want from a retail perspective.
“In order to stay ahead of the game, airports now need to create capacity fast, either through new innovations or by expanding existing infrastructure,” said Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker, who will be speaking at the event.
He said the concept of airport cities, which once was unheard off is now a common goal for many airport development projects around the world. Airport designs now have to be tailored towards their key airline customers. “Furthermore, airports are increasingly becoming retail and cultural destinations because passenger expectations demand it,” Al Baker said.
As Doha continues to expand as a major international travel and transit hub, DIA is becoming an increasingly busy airport.
In 2012, passenger traffic at DIA grew at a rate of 16.87 percent compared with 15.16 percent in 2011. The airport catered to more than 21 million passengers during 2012 and the number of passengers passing through DIA in 2013 is expected to grow to nearly 25 million.
The ASQ Airport Forum is organised by Airports Council International (ACI), the airport sector’s foremost voice on a global level, consisting of some 597 member airports and airport authorities, and operating in over 1679 airports in 177 countries or territories. ASQ is a comprehensive ACI initiative to help airports in their continuing efforts to improve the quality of service experienced by passengers.
It provides a range of core benchmarking programmes ranging from customer satisfaction to performance and commercial services, in addition to customer service certifications.
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