Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Airports Company (Adac) received the highest accolade from the global duty free industry by winning the Frontier Award for Best Airport Operator of the Year 2012. The award ceremony was held on October at the Martinez Hotel in Cannes, France. The Frontier Awards are best known as the ‘Oscars’ of the travel-retail industry and the award ceremony is held annually at the Tax Free World Exhibition in Cannes, which attracts over 6,000 visitors from around the world. The Best Airport Operator of the year category recognises the work done by airport operators to facilitate and develop commercial business opportunities. The judging panel is made up of eight senior industry executives from brand management, retail and airport management. The entries were judged on a number of criteria, including: overall commercial mix; openness of the airport authority to work with all parties to maximise revenue and consumer satisfaction; design and environment of the commercial area; and, commitment to the overall duty free industry and to addressing the issues which it faces.