New Delhi / Hyderabad, February 09, 2021 : GMR-run Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in New Delhi and Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Hyderabad have received the ACI World’s (Airports Council International) prestigious “Voice of Customer” recognition.

Both the GMR-run airports have been recognized for their continuous efforts to listen to their passengers, engage and gather feedback to understand their needs and ensure customers’ voice was heard during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

During these trying times it is imperative for airports to listen to the voice of the customers to garner passenger confidence and repose the faith in flying, and GMR Airports have been very agile and customer centric in its operations.

Covid-19 has virtually affected every sector in the world and aviation was a sector which took a hard hit. With the objective of restoring passenger trust in air travel, GMR-run Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) and GMR Hyderabad Airport Limited (GHIAL) went all out to quickly adapt to the new normal situations and implement several passenger friendly measures for a safe travel.

Passenger feedback was constantly monitored and worked upon. Various channels to garner passenger feedback to address concerns were activated to make the journey through the airport a memorable experience.

Both GHIAL and DIAL also implemented several passenger-friendly measures such as contactless elevators, contactless information desks, promotion of digital transactions, app-based technologies for shopping and food ordering through HOI App, UV sanitization of passenger baggage, strategic placement of disinfectant mats, ensure higher input of UV disinfected fresh air (filtered through HEPA filters) in the terminal buildings and sanitization of cabs were put in place.

To ensure social distancing norms are being followed inside the IGI Airport, DIAL installed XOVIS Passenger Tracking System (PTS), which alerts airport staff in case of crowding.

RGIA, which is the only airport in the country to have an advantage of paperless e-boarding facility for several years for all domestic travellers, extended this contact-less boarding for international passengers.

The 24x7 social media command centre emerged as eye and ear of Delhi Airport. It listened to passenger needs and provided them support or guidance whenever they were approached by flyers in need.

Delhi Airport also launched Air Suvidha portal, which provided international passengers an opportunity to sail through various quarantine exemption procedures.

Apart from these, a dedicated team of over housekeeping professionals were deployed at both the airports to carry out frequent disinfection drives, deep cleaning of various passenger touch points and ensure strict compliance of social distancing norms.

Mr. Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, CEO-DIAL said, “At Delhi Airport, we always work towards enhancing passenger experience through various value added facilities and services. We have implemented several unique initiatives at the airport last year to ensure passengers’ safety without compromising their comfort and experience. We have tried our best to resolve all the queries and concerns of the passengers passing through Delhi Airport. This ACI recognition is a testimony to the fact that the airport community and stakeholders have given their best to take care of passengers’ needs without compromising with their comfort and experience. I thank all of them for Delhi Airport getting this unique achievement.”

Mr. Pradeep Panicker, CEO - GMR Hyderabad International Airport, said, “Every single day it has been our objective to address passenger concerns and resolve them in the quickest way possible. We are honoured to receive this recognition in such critical times. This speaks volumes about the hard work and commitment of the entire airport community and all stakeholders who made it possible and diligently work round the clock to ensure passenger delight.”

Airports Council International (ACI), the trade association of the world’s airports, was founded in 1991 with the objective of fostering cooperation among its member airports and other partners in world aviation, including the International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Air Transport Association and the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization. In representing the best interests of airports during key phases of policy development, ACI makes a significant contribution toward ensuring a global air transport system that is safe, secure, efficient and environmentally sustainable.

DIAL and GHIAL have won the coveted ACI’s Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Departures Awards by being adjudged as the ‘Best Airport by Size and Region’ in Asia-Pacific region for 2019, in their respective categories. ASQ is the world’s leading airport passenger service and benchmarking programme measuring passengers’ satisfaction while they are travelling through an airport.