Ekali, 17 March 2024: This year’s awards ceremony for the Air Transport Awards took place next to the 2024 Air Transport Symposium with the participation of industry leaders.
The 2024 Air Transport Awards are in partnership with Hermes – Air Transport Organisation and ATN – Air Transport News.
Welcoming the participants, Dr Kostas Iatrou, President of the 2024 Air Transport Awards: “As traffic returns to pre-pandemic levels and the industry is recovering from an unprecedented shock, adapting to the new normality has its own challenges. Thoughtful and groundbreaking leadership will prove of essence in the years to come in order to build resilience and enhance the economic, social and environmental sustainability of aviation. All award winners this year not only have full credentials but also share this vision for the future of our sector to the benefit of all stakeholders involved”.
TAV Airports CEO Serkan Kaptan: “Aviation industry had a remarkable recovery in 2023, with global traffic nearing pre-pandemic levels. This achievement is even more important considering the prevailing difficulties, including high inflation and ongoing geopolitical tensions. As TAV Airports, we managed to welcome 96 million passengers at our airports in eight countries, surpassing pre-pandemic levels by a considerable margin. This was mainly due to our trust in the future of our industry as we kept investing in aviation amid the worst crisis in its history. Together with our industry stakeholders, we contribute to the development of regions, laying the foundations of a better life for communities. Although risks persist, I am confident that aviation will continue to create value for all its stakeholders. I am honored to receive the ATN Individual Award this year, and I take it as an appreciation for the incredible work of TAV Airports’ employees around the globe.”
Simon Dreschel, CEO, Bordeaux Airport:”It’s an honor to receive this ATN Corporate Award. This distinction rewards our strategic vision of a new-generation airport model, called Ressources 27. Our current involvements to 2027 draw on multiple resources: human, material, technological, low-carbon and a large financial investment. We are doing everything in our power to achieve our objectives, and place quality of service and sustainable development at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to reducing impacts of our activities and meeting the challenges of the energy transition. It is our responsibility to transform Bordeaux Airport to make it fit for the future.”
“I am deeply thankful to the Air Transport News team for having recognized the work of the ASA – Airport Services Association, and the ground handling sector it represents, with the attribution of this prestigious award, all the more so after reviewing the names and notoriety of the companies upon which similar honour was bestowed in the past.It would be very interesting to get to know what brought the jury to that welcome decision, but I like to believe it is for the ensemble of past challenges and sacrifices and current achievements of the sector. The resilience of ground handlers in the midst of the pandemic and its capacity to maintain safe operations despite a decimated workforce, the constant thrive to innovate and improve its services to airline customers, or the recent announcement by EASA of a forthcoming regulation for ground handling in the years to come, thereby creating a long-overdue operational standard in the EU and beyond… I wouldn’t know what primed in that decision, but for sure it feels like a tribute to a trade body – and a sector – at a crossroad. I am really proud to accept it on behalf of the ASA team and its members.” said Fabio Gamba, Director General of ASA.
Patrick Roux, SkyTeam CEO said: “Winning the Alliance of the Year award for a second consecutive year shows that our strategy to take SkyTeam to new heights through enhanced customer recognition, innovative technology is paying off. The judges and the traveling public have recognized the hard work and commitment to excellent service of SkyTeam people across our network – and other airlines are taking notice, too. We are excited for the future of SkyTeam.”
“As we accept the Manufacturer of the Year award, it’s a moment to reflect on EMBRAER‘s exciting journey through the highs and lows of the aviation industry. Our resilience is demonstrated not just in overcoming these obstacles but in emerging stronger, with a backlog that surpasses pre-pandemic levels and more than doubling deliveries of E2s last year – an aircraft which is 10% more fuel efficient than its closest rival. These milestones are a testament to the strength and synergies we enjoy across our business units: Commercial Aviation, Defense, Executive Jets, Services, and EVE (eVTOLs). Together, they form the cornerstone of our strategy, positioning EMBRAER for sustained growth. This award is a recognition of our team’s hard work and dedication, and it reaffirms our commitment to innovation, sustainability, and leading the aviation industry into a new era of growth and opportunity.” Arjan Meijer, President & CEO, Embraer Commercial Aviation.
“We at iGA Istanbul Airport are incredibly grateful to have received this prestigious award for the fourth consecutive year. Being recognized as the Airport of the Year is a testimonial to the dedication and never-ending efforts of our entire team, who continuously strive for excellence in every facet of our airport’s operations. Together, we aim to set new standards of efficiency, sustainability, innovation and passenger satisfaction. To that end, we’ve set even more ambitious targets for 2024, this award reaffirms our sincere commitment to providing world-class services and we are honored to be acknowledged as the best in the industry. We thank the Air Transport Awards team for this honor and intend to continue delivering the best possible service for our stakeholders and passengers.” Selahattin Bilgen, Acting CEO, iGA Istanbul Airport
“On behalf of IndiGo, I am honored to accept the “Airline of the Year” award at the 2024 Air Transport Awards. It is a testimony to the 100 million customers choosing to fly IndiGo in 2023 and the unwavering commitment, professionalism, and dedication of all my 35,000 IndiGo colleagues. IndiGo is amongst the fastest-growing airlines in the world. It has a simple and successful philosophy: offer fares that are affordable, flights that are on time, and provide a courteous and hassle-free travel experience across its unparalleled network. With its fleet of 350+ aircraft, IndiGo is operating 2,000+ daily flights, operating to 90 domestic Indian destinations and 32 international destinations. This award is a testimony to our purpose of giving wings to the nation, by connecting India to the world and the world to India.”, Pieter Elbers, CEO, IndiGo.
Henrik Hololei, European Commission: “I am humbled and proud in accepting the Hermes Award. It is a real honour to stand along with outstanding aviation personalities who have received this award in the past. Aviation is contagious and once you get hooked up it is difficult to leave. Part of that is the fascination of the business but it is also the people, all of those, who make this sector unique and special. They are great people, a real inspiration, doing exceptional things with such a passion that is rarely present in many others sectors of the economy. I am proud of being able to work with these people over many good years and of my long-time contribution to the aviation sector and humbled for the recognition I have received by HERMES.”
“Thank you to the Hermes Air Transport Organisation as well as Dr. Kostas Iatrou and his family for honoring me with the prestigious 2024 Katerina and George Iatrou Lifetime Achievement Award. This award represents the dedicated work of the talented men and women I have the privilege of working with every day—the best-in-class team at A4A in addition to our incredible member airlines. It is not lost on me that when I was growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, nobody in my neighborhood flew – nobody. That’s because nobody could afford it. Today, it’s truly remarkable that millions of people fly and millions of packages are delivered each day around the world because of the miracle of aviation. Hermes makes a material contribution to this miracle,” said Nicholas E. Calio, President and CEO of A4A.
Dr. Eng. David Ciceo, CEO, Cluj International Airport: “I am humbled and honored to have received the 2024 Leader of the Year award. On the one hand, I feel humbled, especially after seeing the list of prominent predecessors who have been nominated for this award. Nonetheless, it makes me pleased to be among such an extraordinary group of leaders. On the other, I feel honored because this award signifies, in my opinion, recognition of the efforts that contributed to the transformation of Cluj-Napoca airport from a small, provincial base serving 30,000 passengers annually to a significant regional gateway and the second busiest airport in Romania, with an annual passenger volume of over 3 million. Despite challenging circumstances, this accomplishment was made possible by the persistent efforts of a devoted team at Cluj-Napoca airport, as well as the ongoing collaboration of all industry players at the regional, national, and European levels. I am deeply grateful to ATN, which has long been a driving force for aviation excellence, for this prestigious award. I would like to take this moment to thank everyone who has helped make this honor possible.”
In particular, the winners by category are as follows:
-ATN Individual Award: Serkan Kaptan, TAV Airports
-ATN Corporate Award: Bordeaux Airport
-ATN International Organisation Award: ASA – Airport Services Association
-Alliance of the Year: SkyTeam
-Manufacturer of the Year: Embraer
-Airport of the Year: iGA Istanbul Airport
-Airline of the Year: IndiGo
-Hermes Award: Henrik Hololei, European Commission
-“Katerina & George Iatrou” Lifetime Achievement Award: Nicholas E. Calio, President and CEO, A4A
-Leader of the Year: Dr. Eng. David Ciceo, CEO, Cluj International Airport