Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is No.1 globally for immigration service in the latest industry awards by U.K.-based air travel research group Skytrax.
The facility in northern Taiwan earned the honor on the basis of 13.73 million surveys completed by air travelers from more than 100 countries and territories between August 2017 and February 2018 in 550 airports worldwide. It was followed by Japan’s Chubu Centrair International Airport in second and Hong Kong International Airport in third.
Jerry Dann, senior vice president of Taoyuan International Airport Corporation Ltd., said upon receiving the award March 21 in Stockholm that the recognition underscores the effectiveness of the airport’s efforts in streamlining passport control procedures, as well as the efficiency of the National Immigration Agency’s e-Gates.
Launched in 2012, the self-service e-Gates are accessible by Republic of China (Taiwan) nationals and registered foreigners holding residency certificates with multi-entry permits. The system recorded 50 million uses as of July 2017.
According to Dann, the award is also a nod to NIA personnel serving at the facility’s passport control counters. They are the unsung heroes handling arrivals in a quick and courteous manner while providing an outstanding first impression of Taiwan, he said.
TTIA performed well in the seven other categories of the awards. The top result was third in staff service followed by fourth in baggage delivery, cleanliness, overall improvement and security processing, fifth in transit services and seventh in leisure amenities.
Overall, TTIA is the 15th best airport in the world, moving up six places from last year. The top five comprises Singapore’s Changi Airport, first; South Korea’s Incheon International Airport, second; Germany’s Munich Airport, third; Hong Kong International Airport, fourth; and Japan’s Haneda International Airport, fifth.
The best immigration service award is the latest in a long string of honors for TTIA. Last year, it won Skytrax’s best airport staff service award and was named No. 3 in the world for facilities serving over 40 million passengers per year in the Airport Service Quality Awards by Montreal-headquartered Airports Council International. (CPY-E)
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