From 12 â€" 14 October 2014, Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) hosted industry executives from across Africa and presidential bodies from ACI World and ACI Africa, for the 23rd ACI Africa Region Annual Assembly, Conference and Exhibition in Durban. Service Excellence â€" Key to the Future was the theme for this year’s conference that presented exciting opportunities for business to connect with counterparts from other areas of Africa.

As one of the continent’s leading airport authorities, ACSA participated in discussions on service quality issues at airports as well as the economics of service excellence in operations. This was a unique opportunity for the company to share expertise and lessons learned in an effort to contribute to the improvement of service levels at airports in Africa.

The Chairperson of the Board, Busisiwe Mabuza, CEO, Bongani Maseko, and a few members of the senior leadership team represented the business at the event. Speaking opportunities featured ACSA’s learnings on Airport Service Quality implementation as well as the collaborative decision making programme adopted by business.

The conference hosted representatives of the aviation industry from the continent as well as a few global exhibitors.  ACSA was involved in facilitating and ensuring that everything from logistics to the strategic discussion sessions went smoothly. General Manager of King Shaka International Airport, Terence Delomoney said, “One of the best and most well organised regional assemblies in a long time”, which echoed the positive sentiments of the 350 attendees and delegates.

ACSA has, without a doubt become an international player within the sector, currently providing services to nine regional airports within South Africa and the Guarulhos International Airport project â€" Brazil and Mumbai International Airport â€" India.

Their aspirations to become a world leading airport operator is confirmed by the fact that the most recent Airports Service Quality (ASQ) survey ranked O.R Tambo, King Shaka and Cape Town International airports in the top three in Africa.

Globally in the Skytrax rankings of the world’s top one hundred airports, Cape Town International is placed 22nd, King Shaka International 26th and O.R. Tambo International is 28th, King Shaka International is placed first in the under five million category and Cape Town first in the five to ten million category.

Delomoney feels that the conference left a very good impression on all the delegates and spoke volumes in affirming the ability of the airport, city and province to deliver a world class experience. A comprehensive tour of the King Shaka International Airport, Dube TradePort and the City of Durban allowed select delegates the opportunity to explore the facilities, understand systems and observe working processes.  A true ambassador, Delomoney made a point of reiterating Durban’s position as a business destination, remarking, ”We have worked hard to earn the respect of the international aviation community. Being able to boast that Durban will be hosting the 21st World Route Development Forum (World Routes) in September 2015 makes it all worth it. This marks the first time in its history that the event will be held in Africa.”

Armed with the information that came out of the strategic sessions and motivated by a renewed perspective of the achievements, ACSA is determined to improve its offering on all levels. The departure point will be getting back to service basics, best practices that are not dependent on financial viability. The strategy will be supported by initiatives in technological advancement, security improvements and new processes aimed at delivering an end user experience that is second to none.

Colin Naidoo King Shaka International Airport:
Communications and Brand, Manager
Airports Company South Africa
www.airports.co.za