GEORGE NEWS - The George Airport recently scooped two prestigious awards in the Airports Council International's (ACI) annual Airport Service Quality Awards, which recognises customer service excellence at airports around the globe.

George won the "2018 Best Airport by Region" in Africa for airports with under two million passengers, as well as the "Safety Award for Best Airport in Africa over 20 000 air traffic miles".

The awards will be presented to the management of George Airport at the prestigious ACI World Conference and Annual General Assembly to be held from 14 to 18 October in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire.

George Airport manager Brenda Vorster said, "The management and staff at George Airport are incredibly proud that our airport has once again been recognised for the excellent passenger service that we offer. The safety award is a new one for us and receiving this accolade has involved hard work and dedication from our safety team."

George Airport has been awarded the South African Airport of the Year award six times.

Senzeni Ndebele, Acsa (Airports Company South Africa) senior manager for Regional Airports, said, "We are pleased to have received yet another ACI acknowledgement recognising George Airport's passenger service excellence."

With passengers travelling to the region's mountains, beaches and forests, George Airport's annual passenger numbers continue to grow. The airport welcomed over 400 000 passengers during the 2016/2017 financial year. The airport not only plays a central role in the region's tourist economy, but is a national distribution hub for cargo such as flowers, fish, oysters, herbs and ferns.

George Airport is also Africa's first airport to be solar powered, with a 200m² solar plant launched at the airport in 2016, further demonstrating Acsa's commitment to clean energy generation and sustainability.

'We bring you the latest George, Garden Route news'