TTW
Registered
Budapest Airport was declared the Overall Winner at the Routes Europe 2024 Awards and also secured the top spot in the 5-20 Million Passenger category.
The awards ceremony, hosted in Aarhus, Denmark, honored five entities, recognizing their outstanding contributions to airport and destination marketing and the vital role of partnerships in sustainable route development. Alongside Budapest Airport, the winners included Turismo de Portugal, Athens International Airport, Albrecht Dürer Airport Nürnberg, and Jet2.com.
Following their success, Balázs Bogáts, Chief Commercial Officer at Budapest Airport said: “This accolade is a testament to our commitment to excellence and innovation. I want to express my deepest gratitude to our talented team, our airline partners and all those who contribute to our success. Together we have created a hub of connectivity, efficiency, and passenger satisfaction. We remain dedicated to pushing boundaries, exploring new horizons, and delivering impactful marketing solutions. Our journey continues, and we invite you all to be part of it. You are at the right place. We are at the right place.”
The success of Budapest Airport is largely attributed to its effective airline marketing strategies, which engage millions of travelers worldwide and facilitate beneficial collaborations with aviation partners. The airport has leveraged creative and innovative approaches, especially in social media, to attract a broader range of passengers and highlight the destination’s allure. In 2023, Budapest Airport served 14.7 million passengers, reaching 91% of its pre-pandemic traffic, and expanded its nonstop capacity to major markets like China, the Middle East, and North Africa by over 30%.
In the Under 5 Million Passengers category, Albrecht Dürer Airport Nuremberg in Germany emerged victorious. The airport saw a substantial increase in traffic in 2023, adding 16 new routes and boosting the frequency of existing ones, raising the total number of destinations to 65.
Christian Käser, Vice President Aviation Sales & Traffic Development at Albrecht Dürer Airport Nuremberg, said: “We really appreciate being awarded this prize. It’s very satisfying to see that our transformation to thrive in a drastically different, dynamic market has been recognized by our customers and airlines.”
Athens International Airport won in the Over 20 Million Passengers category. In 2023, Athens set a new record by handling over 28 million passengers, introducing 39 new destinations, welcoming 19 new airlines, and adding 68 extra services to existing routes. This growth was primarily driven by demand in Western Europe and North America.
Ioanna Papadopoulou, Director Communications and Marketing at Athens International Airport, said: “We are thrilled by this prestigious award which is the reward for our hard work and all our efforts to enhance our airport’s and our city’s connectivity! Dedicated to all our colleagues at Athens International Airport who work 24/7 with dedication and passion for our airlines, our passengers, and our country!”
Turismo de Portugal clinched the top spot in the Destination category, thanks to its effective partnerships and targeted multichannel marketing campaigns. These efforts have been instrumental in adding 30 new destinations to their 2024 summer schedule and achieving record-breaking passenger numbers in 2023.
Miguel Moraes, Head of Trade Relations at Turismo de Portugal, said: “It recognises the effort we have been developing in the last decade, working closely with our partner airlines to deliver sustainable routes to our destinations. Especially throughout the difficult period that we endured together, when cooperation was the key element to the recovery, we are now enjoying the benefits of that work. A word of appreciation to those who voted for us, with the reassurance that we will always be here to cooperate with the industry, so critical to our tourism sector.”
Jet2.com was awarded in the Airline category. As the UK’s third-largest airline, it expanded its seat capacity by more than 7% for the summer 2023 schedule compared to the previous year, driven by new routes, fleet expansion, and the introduction of its 11th UK base at Liverpool John Lennon Airport, enhancing passenger choice and flexibility.
Launching almost 40 new routes across their UK airports during the summer 2024 schedule, Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won this prestigious award which recognises Jet2.com’s strength and success, as well as our industry-leading approach to supporting and working with airport and destination partners. The Routes Awards are truly global, so this accolade is outstanding evidence of the success of our business, our relentless focus on customer service, and our continued commitment to building long-term and mutually beneficial partnerships with airports and destinations.”
The finalists in both the Airport and Destination categories were evaluated by a panel of airline judges, while those in the Airline category were reviewed by a panel of editorial judges.
The post Celebrations at Routes Europe 2024 as Budapest Airport Wins Big appeared first on Travel And Tour World.
Continue reading...
