The Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport is among the 25 most valuable airports in the world in the inaugural ranking Airports 25 2019 of Brand Finance. The first position is held by the British Heathrow airport with a brand value of 791 million euros.
The report is the first of its kind on the strongest airport brands in the world and uses a variety of indicators such as service quality, customer ratings and ratings, airport capacity, number of destinations, investment and the use to measure the value and strength of the world’s airport brands.
The Spanish aerodrome occupies the last place in the ranking (position 25) and obtains an A + rating in terms of Brand Strength. In the first four months of 2019, the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport registered 18,495,915 passengers, 6.1% more than in the same period of 2018. In terms of figures, the airport continues to accumulate records: 132,184 movements aircraft, 3.9% more and 173,000 tons of freight transport (+ 5%) in the first four months of 2019.
According to Teresa de Lemus, Managing Director of Brand Finance Spain, “Of the 51 airports designated as tourism in Spain, the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport is the only one that appears this year in the ranking. By number of passengers and importance we hope that airports such as Barcelona-El Prat, Palma de Mallorca or Malaga-Costa del Sol, will soon appear among the most valuable in the next rankings.”
In terms of geographical distribution, the countries with the most valuable airport brands are the United Kingdom (Heathrow Airport), Singapore (Changi Airport) and South Korea (Incheon International Airport) among the first three. They are followed by Germany (Frankfurt Airport), France (Paris – Charles De Gaulle), Japan (Haneda International Airport and Narita Inetrnational Airport), China (Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Hong Kong International Airport) and the Netherlands (Schiphol).
In terms of brand strength, the Spanish airport is among the 7 with A + rating. In addition to calculating the total value of the brand, Brand Finance also determines the relative strength of the brands through a balanced scorecard that evaluates the investment in marketing, the equity of the interested parties and the performance of the business. Along with the level of income, the strength of the brand is a crucial determinant of the value of the brand.
The strongest brand in the sector belongs to Singapore’s Changi Airport with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) of 86.90 out of 100. Changi Airport is famous for its duty-free shops and world-class services, as well as for the ease of access for passengers.
International Perspective
• Singapore Changi Airport obtains the strongest and second most valuable airport brand in the world, with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 86.90 out of 100.
• Incheon of South Korea stands out in third place with AAA brand rating, assessed at 634 million euros.
• French parent company Groupe ADP owns two of the most valuable airport brands in the world, with Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris in fifth place and Paris Orly Airport in 24th place.
Heathrow is the most valuable airport brand in the world and, impressively, last year managed to have a record volume of 80.1 million passengers, which makes it the busiest airport in Europe and the 7th busiest airport of the world.
According to Savio D’Souza, Aviation Director of Brand Finance, “A world-class airport is one that can operate without problems with large volumes of passengers that transit, depart and arrive while maintaining high standards of service in their terminals, an offer of superior customer service and a pleasant travel experience for customers. The most valuable airport brands are those that meet the demands of the most demanding business travelers and frequent travelers, in addition to providing a comfortable and well-equipped environment to accommodate a family that embarks on their annual summer vacation. ”
The French parent company Groupe ADP owns two of the most valuable airport brands in the world, with Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris in the 5th position (brand value of 468 million euros) and Paris Orly Airport (brand value of 131 million) in position 24 of the ranking.