THE Francisco Bangoy International Airport (FBIA) is among the top 25 Asian airports for 2017 as per survey conducted by SleepinginAirport.net, a Canadian private website known to be an online airport guide for millions of travellers all over the globe.
In a website post released by the site last Sunday, October 20, FBIA is among the four airports in the Philippines that made it to the top 25 list.
“In our annual survey, we asked travellers to rate airports in Asia based on their overall airport experience. They ranked their experience based on comfort (gate seating and availability of rest zones), services, facilities and things to do, food options, immigration and security, customer service, cleanliness, navigation and ease of transit, and sleepability,” read the website post.
FBIA is ranked 17th among the top 25 Asian airports, ranking better than Karachi Jinnah International Airport in Pakistan; Lahore Allama Iqbal International Airport still in Pakistan; Brunei International Airport in Brunei; Trivandrum International Airport in India; Clark International Airport; Bali Ngurah Rai International Airport in Indonesia; Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport still in Indonesia; and the Kolkata Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in India.
Aside from FBIA, the other Philippine airports that made it to the list are Iloilo International Airport (ranked 12th), Mactan-Cebu International Airport (ranked 13th), and Clark International Airport (ranked 22nd).
Davao City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) head Generose Tecson said the ranking is one of the indicators that their lobbying for a better airport management is finally bearing fruit.
“Tourism is based on impression so once they land in Davao and get a good ‘feel’ in our airport, then it’ll augur well for the rest of their stay in the city. It comes at a great time also as the city embarked on its first investment and tourism roadshow in four cities in Japan where the reception has been great! Hopefully more international direct flights would follow especially to Osaka and Tokyo,” said Tecson, who was in Japan with the other city government officials for a tourism and investment roadshow.
As for his part, Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (DCCCII) president Ronald Go sees the ranking as an opportunity to build a better airport to improve on what the city already has.
“I think it is the welcoming spirit and discipline of the Dabawenyos that set us apart from others. When visitors experience our hospitality they immediately notice the difference. Perhaps we may not be on top in terms of facilities but we obviously stand out in terms of how we treat others. This should spur us to build a better airport to improve on what we have and help us move up further in the rankings,” Go said.