According to the global Airport Service Quality (ASQ) survey by Airports Council International, KLIA achieved a score of 4.99 over 5.00, an improvement on the 4.98 it polled last year, when it ranked 10th.
In a statement today, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) group chief executive officer Mohd Shukrie Mohd Salleh said apart from KLIA, the group’s efforts to improve service levels saw Langkawi International Airport (LGK) named as the world’s third best airport in the two to five mppa category, scoring 4.97 over 5.00 in the ASQ survey.
He said the group continued to leverage on the lull period caused by international and domestic travel restrictions to carry out various initiatives to heighten passenger experience and ensure airport readiness when passenger traffic picks up again.
“Although we are facing an extreme contraction of traffic, we are not complacent when it comes to ensuring our services and facilities remain at the highest level.
“The encouraging results borne by the airport community’s efforts at both KLIA and LGK in upholding exceptional services and safety measures in the new travel norm will certainly help restore passenger confidence,” he said.
ASQ benchmarks the world’s best airports in terms of overall passenger satisfaction for terminal safety, facilities, services and cleanliness.
Last month, the total number of passenger movements for MAHB was about two million for its local network of airports as well as its Turkish asset, Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (ISG).
Shukrie said the country’s borders remained closed and movement control orders continue to be imposed as daily Covid-19 cases have been on the rise again recently.
Nevertheless, total passenger movements for the local network of airports in April was registered at 630,000, which was close to an 8% increase compared with the preceding month.
This was borne by the pickup in airline operations for the domestic sector, with an increase of 161 weekly flights or 19% growth compared to March 2021, sustaining an average load factor above 57%, he said, adding that AirAsia registered the highest average load factor of 60% in April.
“(A total of) 1.89 million people in Malaysia have been vaccinated under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme so far, with the majority being frontliners and senior citizens.
“The vaccine rollout planned for the year may help pave the way for gradual recovery,” he said.