Travellers vote Dubai International as Middle East's best airport

The readers also voted Dubai International as the Best Airport in the Middle East for Duty Free Shopping.

The award in the best airport category is given based on excellence in delivery of customer service, particularly in areas such as baggage delivery, check-in, and frontline services. Airport facilities and duty-free shopping are some of the major factors that play a role in the voting for the awards. Survey forms are included in Business Traveller magazine and sent to all regional subscribers, a large percentage of which turns them in with their choice.

In the world's best airport category, Dubai International finished second only to Singapore's Changi Airport, the winner this year.

This is the fourth consecutive year that Dubai International has won the region's best airport award. Dubai International has won over 14 regional and international awards between 2008 and 2009 - nearly triple the number of awards in the preceding year, and the highest in a year to date.

Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said:

"At Dubai Airports, we aspire to be the world's best airport in every sense, but most of all in the quality of our customer service. While all awards and recognitions evoke a sense of pride at Dubai Airports, the Business Traveller Award is truly special because it is the travellers - our customers, who choose the winner. Winning this award tells us that our efforts at continually enhancing our customer service are making a difference, and that we are headed in the right direction."

The annual awards ceremony was held at the Godolphin Ballroom, Emirates Towers on May 4, on the eve of the Arabian Travel Market 2009. Griffiths received the award on behalf of Dubai Airports from the guest of honour Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, Head of easyGroup - best known for creating the low cost airline easyJet in 1995.