Jomo Kenyatta International Airport’s (JKIA) new ranking sets it as the best in Africa and 38th globally.
This is according to a study in quality of service, on-time performance, and passenger experience at airports, factoring in delayed, canceled flights and public reviews.
The study was done between December 22, 2017, and March 20, 2018 by AirHelp Score rankings.
JKIA scored highest than major airports previously poised as the best.
According to CNN, the Airports Council International (ACI), a global trade representative of the world’s airports, had earlier this year ranked JKIA as the most improved airport in Africa, ranking behind Casablanca, which was named the best at the time, followed by Mauritius and then Durban.
“JKIA airport has earned its position as a key aviation hub for the region and indeed the continent. Being the main gateway to the country, continuous improvement of service standards will aid our success in reclaiming our position as the premier tourist destination on the continent,” said Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) managing director Mr Andersen.
According to the new ranking, JKIA scored an overall 7.9 per cent out of 10;8.3 on-time performance, 7.2 quality of service, and 9.3 on passenger sentiments — a clear improvement compared to last year’s scores.
Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa Airport, which beat JKIA in 2017 to be ranked 26th worldwide is missing from this year’s list.
Also missing from the list are some of the continent’s largest and busiest airports OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg (South Africa), and Cairo International Airport.
Others missing from the list are Cape Town, Casablanca (Morocco), and Murtala Muhammed in Lagos.
In the new rankings, Kenya’s JKIA is ahead of world-class airports including Billund in Denmark at position 39, Porto Alegre, Brazil (40), Zurich, Switzerland (41), Gdansk, Poland (42), Gran Canaria Spain (43), Amsterdam, Netherlands (44), and San Francisco, USA (45).