Airlines distinguished with Schiphol Aviation Awards
Yesterday evening, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol hosted its annual Schiphol Aviation Awards, recognising exceptional performance among airlines in 2009. First to be distinguished were Estonian Air and Royal Jordanian, with the prize for most punctual airline.
Ad Rutten, Executive Vice President & COO of Schiphol Group, opened the awards ceremony with a warm welcome for all those in attendance. 'Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is pursuing its ambition is to be and remain Europe's preferred airport. That takes a team effort. This special evening is our way of thanking all of our customers. And, true to tradition, we will be awarding a number of prizes to business partners who have demonstrated exceptional performance in 2009 and who have made important contributions to the Schiphol main port.'
The following prizes were awarded:
Punctuality Award
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol has been presenting this annual award since 1994 to highlight the importance it attaches to punctuality. This year's focus was on punctuality scores at peak hours. The punctuality award for 'Europe' went to Estonian Air, which launched operations at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in 2009. The 'Intercontinental' category winner was Royal Jordanian, which has been flying to and from Schiphol since 1975.
Jan Dellaert Award
This year, the Jan Dellaert Award was presented to the ANVR, which has proven itself an excellent partner over the past year, working hard to get the Air Passenger Tax repealed and serving a vital function as a neutral platform for the travel industry. The award owes its name to the 'father of Schiphol', Jan Dellaert, who founded the airport and was its first manager.
Environmental Capacity Award
The winner of this year's Environmental Capacity Award is KLM. The airline received the award in recognition of its contribution to the development and implementation of disturbance-reducing measures in the region, refurbishment of its fleet and its pioneering role in flying on biokerosene.
Cargo Award
The Cargo Award went to Customs for its major stake in the optimisation of cargo processes at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. In particular, the airport commends its efforts in the Schiphol SmartGate Cargo project. Schiphol SmartGate Cargo is an integral inspection process facilitating fast and efficient screening of goods shipped out of the EU via Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. As one of the first public-private partnerships in the world to bring government bodies charged with enforcing laws on border crossing together with the private sector, cooperation in this project has been groundbreaking and intensive.
Passenger Airline Award
The Passenger Airline Award recipient this year is Delta Air Lines. As a successful SkyTeam partner, this airline has played an important role in the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol network. Amsterdam continues to be a key hub for Delta Air Lines since its takeover of Northwest Airlines.
Ground Handling Award
For the third year in a row, the Ground Handling Award was presented to Aviapartner for its excellent operational ground handling performance in 2009 and cooperation with other parties.
