Qatar Airways has once again triumphed at the annual Skytrax World Airline Awards, winning three top accolades including the main award Best Airline in the World for the second year running. The Doha-based carrier retained the coveted title of Airline of the Year 2012 and notched up two further awards – Best Airline in the Middle East for the seventh consecutive year and the Best Airline Staff Service award in the Middle East. The winners were announced at an awards ceremony attended by leading figures from the global aviation industry at the Farnborough Air Show, the world's largest aerospace event taking place in the UK this week. The Skytrax awards, conducted by the global aviation research organization, polled over 18 million business travelers and leisure travelers from more than 100 countries. Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker hailed the achievements as “fantastic recognition” of all employees at Qatar Airways for the dedication and commitment to their job. “I am extremely proud of the adulation given once again by the very people who fly – the traveling public, for their support and faith in Qatar Airways,” said Al Baker, speaking after being presented with the awards. “Qatar Airways set out on a mission 15 years ago when we launched to be the world's best airline and spread the airline's quality brand to all corners of the world. “Last year we achieved that. Retaining awards is always difficult, but we have managed to do so amid the tough competition which only shows we remain focused in our day to day job of offering passengers what they fully deserve – the highest standards of service both in the air and on the ground. “The achievements further reflect the high standards that we set for ourselves and receiving the awards is fantastic recognition of the hard work and commitment of our staff across the world who help make Qatar Airways the success it is today.” Skytrax Chief Executive Officer Edward Plaisted said: “To win the Airline of the Year award for a second successive year is a remarkable achievement for Qatar Airways, and a clear recognition of the continued efforts by Qatar Airways' management and staff to be the world's best airline. “Qatar Airways should be very proud of this fantastic customer recognition of their service standards, and ranking No 1 in the world at the 2012 Airline of the Year shows that they truly are a favourite airline among today's global travelers.” Air travelers were surveyed during a 10-month period by telephone, questionnaires and online about their experiences with airlines on the ground and in the air. The survey measured passenger satisfaction across more than 38 key performance indicators of airline front-line product and service, including check-in, boarding, onboard seat comfort, cabin cleanliness, food, beverages, in-flight entertainment and staff service. The survey covered more than 200 airlines, from the largest international airlines to smaller domestic carriers. Qatar Airways has seen rapid growth in just 15 years of operation, currently operating a modern fleet of 109 aircraft to 117 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America. Since the beginning of the year, Qatar Airways has launched flights to Baku (Azerbaijan); Tbilisi (Georgia); Kigali (Rwanda); Zagreb (Croatia), Erbil (Iraq), Baghdad, and most recently, Perth (Australia) with many more destinations planned during 2012. Over the next few months, Qatar Airways launches services to a diverse portfolio of new routes, including Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (July 25); Mombasa, Kenya (August 15); Yangon, Myanmar (October 3); Maputo, Mozambique (October 31) and a date yet-to-be-announced to the Serbian capital Belgrade.
