epresentatives of Vnukovo Airport took part in the 31st Annual Congress and General Assembly of the Airports Council of Europe International (ACI Europe). As part of the events, the 17th ACI Europe Best Airport Awards 2021 ceremony took place.
Vnukovo International Airport received the highest ACI Europe Best Airport Awards 2021 as a transport hub serving 10 to 25 million passengers annually. Vnukovo became the first Russian airport to receive the ACI Europe Best Airport Awards over the past decade. The Honorary Award recognizing efforts and achievements in sustainable development, ensuring passenger safety, restoring traffic, and developing routes in 2021, as well as resilience and inspiration to work during an unprecedented, difficult for the entire industry period of the COVID-19 pandemic was received by Anton Kuznetsov, the Deputy General Director for Commerce at Vnukovo International Airport. In his welcoming speech, he noted: "I express my sincere gratitude to ACI Europe for the appreciation of our work and support during the difficult period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to ACI, we constantly felt like a part of the global aviation community, which was very important to us. I want to thank the passengers who chose us for their travels and appreciated all the efforts made by the airport to ensure a high level of safety and comfort. We strive to meet the expectations of our clients and value their opinion. Since the beginning of 2020, the airport has been participating in the ASQ Departure program, even during air travel restrictions. Vnukovo received worldwide recognition in the ACI World's Voice of the Customer. I want to thank the airlines for their joint work and sustainable development aimed at countering the challenges of today. This year the airport's route network has expanded both domestically and internationally, and we have acquired new business partners. To date, we have already transported more than 15 million passengers. The drop in total passenger traffic compared to a record year for us in 2019, when we served 24 million passengers, has decreased to 26%."
The ACI Europe Best Airport Awards recognize excellence in airport performance. This year, the award's emphasis was placed on significant efforts to confront the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, introducing innovations. The founder of the award is the Airports Council of Europe International (ACI Europe), a professional association representing more than 500 airport operators in 46 European countries. The award is one of the most prestigious in the industry. The winners are selected by experts, including representatives of the European Commission, the European Civil Aviation Conference, and the International Transport Forum.
Vnukovo Airport has been a member of the European Branch of Airports Council International (ACI Europe) since 2018. Last year, the airport's efforts to organize smooth operations during the COVID-19 pandemic and restore passenger traffic and customer focus, Vnukovo received a positive rating from ACI. Vnukovo was shortlisted for the best airports in Europe and became a laureate of the initiative "The Voice of the Customer" Airports Council International (ACI) World as the most active participant in the implementation of the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) assessment and control program in the context of a pandemic.
