18 Saudi Airports Earn Global Passenger ACI Experience Accreditation

With 18 airports in the “Cluster 2” group receiving Level 3 Customer Experience Accreditation from Airports Council International (ACI), Saudi Arabia’s airports have reached a new worldwide milestone.

This accomplishment globally recognises the cluster’s success and dedication to improving the passenger experience in line with the highest international standards.

Cluster 2 Airports Shine Once Again

According to ACI, Level 3 Customer Experience Accreditation is an advanced stage in the ongoing effort to improve the passenger experience. It represents the ability to achieve a comprehensive customer experience strategy through diverse engagement with employees, consumers, and customer experience professionals.

As a result, these airports have advanced to a point where all pertinent strategies and operational procedures incorporate the passenger experience. Additionally, they have proven capable of fostering a culture of continuous development and providing creative solutions to raise the calibre and effectiveness of the services offered.

In this regard, it is important to note that the cluster’s accomplishments in 2026 were not limited to this worldwide recognition; 39 of its airports had already obtained international certification, including the possibility of advancing to Level 1. Furthermore, the “Cluster 2” airports received three prizes after making the list of the best airports in the Middle East. Consequently, the cluster’s operational services are clearly evolving at a rapid and remarkable pace.

What is International Customer Experience Accreditation?

The official definition states that Airports Council International (ACI World) started the international programme known as International Customer Experience Accreditation. By including participating airports in a thorough assessment and training process, it seeks to increase airports’ long-term ability to manage customer experience.

The programme’s core goal is to improve the customer experience by involving stakeholders and employees. It tracks its progress by assessing airport practices, how well they correspond with a thorough grasp of traveller needs, and how services have been updated.

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Benefits of Increasing Saudi Airports’ Competitiveness

The Airports Council International (ACI) has listed several advantages that airports might experience after becoming accredited, such as:

• Developing action plans for improvement and creating new procedures for handling the passenger experience.
• Making use of international knowledge, resources, and training initiatives.
• Promoting cooperation amongst diverse stakeholders, employees, and airport management.
• Showcasing the airport’s dedication to enhancing the communities it serves.
• Maximising passenger happiness by process improvement and innovation.
• Enhancing the effectiveness of airport customer experience management.

These advantages improve Saudi airports’ capacity to compete on a regional and global scale, especially in light of the Kingdom’s ongoing increase in air travel. In 2025, 140.9 million passengers passed through Saudi airports, according to figures from the General Authority for Statistics.

Read more: Malham Airport Joins KSA’s General Aviation Services Realising Vision 2030

Accreditation Levels

Airports Council International’s programme uses the following five levels, which evaluate an airport’s progress in managing the passenger experience:

• The first level starts with creating a customer experience culture in the airport by assessing the happiness and complaints of travellers and developing a thorough grasp of their expectations.
• The second level entails developing a precise customer experience management strategy under the direction of teams with expertise in this area.
• The third level’s core focus, as we’ve already discussed, is on putting into practice an all-encompassing and sophisticated plan based on complex interactions between travellers, staff, and customer experience professionals.
• The fourth level stands for integrating the customer experience into the airport’s institutional culture, working with all staff members to enhance the traveller’s experience.
• The fifth level symbolises the pinnacle of airport progress in customer experience management, with the customer experience strategy being a central component of the airport’s strategy and operations.

Based on the foregoing, it appears that the second airport cluster is progressing toward its strategic goals, which include modernising its airports and improving the quality and efficiency of its operations, as well as developing the passenger experience, in accordance with Vision 2030’s goals of developing a globally competitive aviation sector.

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