The twenty-third Airports Council International Africa Regional Assembly, which took place in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, earlier this month, brought together African airport leaders under the theme: Service Excellence – Key to the Future.

Sponsored by Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), the event gathered industry leaders to find the best aviation practices in Africa, said ACSA regional airports GM Yvette Schoeman.

The event encompassed an assembly, conference and exhibition, with the aim of reinforcing African airport operators’ commitment to match global best practices in meeting the needs of airlines and passengers.

ACSA CEO Bongani Maseko said improving service excellence had become critical for the continent, as air traffic continued to grow and travellers spent more time at airports.

“The aviation business in the region has changed substantially over the past few years and the industry has seen a significant increase in air traffic that has been brought on by the growing preference for air travel, closer intraregional cooperation, a growing cosmopolitan population and a heightened competitive landscape from a variety of airlines,” he stated.

Event moderator and King Shaka International Airport GM Terence Delomoney said South African airports were ranked high in service delivery in Africa, but there was always room for improvement.

He added that one of the key aspects to improvement was to collaborate with African operators on the continent.

Delomoney said King Shaka International Airport had many initiatives in place for service excellence, such as its airport service quality survey, through which passengers evaluate service.

“We also have internal management systems to monitor and improve service levels,” he says.

Schoeman agreed, adding that South African airports benchmarked its performance against other airports, while also ensuring that monthly in-house benchmarking is conducted.

Meanwhile, Delomoney stated that, while South Africa “has good infrastructure”, it was important to improve on technology to create efficiency at airports.

He revealed that the major South African airports were considering a shift to automated check-in processes, self-baggage drops and self-boarding.

Pilot projects involving automation are in place at the OR Tambo International Airport, in Johannesburg, and the Cape Town International Airport to enable seamless travel for passengers.

Delomoney expected the self-boarding option to be rolled out in the next 12 months, following approval from the South African Civil Aviation Authority.

“The key to service excellence also depends on a collaboration between various stakeholders of the airport and on information sharing between various airports. Further, the level of service provided by staff working for and at the airport must be consistent,” he stated.

Earlier this year, a UK-based company specialising in airline and airport research ranked the top 100 airports globally, with Cape Town International, King Shaka International and OR Tambo International ranked 22, 26 and 28 respectively.

Delomoney stated that, while South Africa also had the top airports in Africa, it was important to change the image of aviation in Africa to ensure it was regional, rather than local, to improve Africa as a whole.

Further, he also noted that only 5% of South Africans travelled by air, prompting the need to reduce air travel costs.

Meanwhile, with the threat of the Ebola virus on the continent, Delomoney assured the public that the Department of Health was collaborating with the international airports in the country and has implemented stringent processes to safeguard passengers.

Officials are also observing every flight from high-risk countries and are profiling passengers. There are quarantined areas in airports.

Schoeman agreed and noted that South Africa was protected from the Ebola outbreak and added that the Department of Health has been proactive in installing sensors at the international airports in the country.