Skytrax names Qatar Airways ‘World’s Best Airline’

Qatar Airways was named Airline of the Year 2021 in the latest Skytrax awards, the sixth time it has won the award, with Singapore Airlines ranked second and ANA All Nippon Airways in third place, out of more than 350 airlines. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker. (PHOTO: Qatar Airways) Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker, said, “This award is the result of the incredible work by the Qatar Airways team and I want to thank our valued passengers for their loyalty and appreciation for all we have offered during the most challenging and uncertain times, without compromising on the service and excellence that the airline is renowned for throughout the world. We never abandoned our loyal customers when they needed us the most, we continued flying to get people home and implemented stringent biosafety measures to provide strong reassurance for travellers, all while continuing to innovate to ensure we remain the airline of choice for millions of passengers across the globe. Being named the ‘World’s Best Airline’ for an unprecedented sixth time is an enormous achievement.” (PHOTO: Qatar Airways) Skytrax, in its announcement of the awards, said “most of 2020 and 2021 has been a catastrophic period for the world airline industry, as passenger demand plummeted and countries across the world were affected by lockdowns and severe travel restrictions. The Skytrax customer survey operated for 23 months (September 2019 to July 2021), with the 2021 Awards representing a mix of more normal travel times combined with some travel during the global pandemic.  Evaluating the Top 20 airlines, there have been some up and down movements versus 2019 results, although a core of airlines still dominate these higher positions.” Qatar Airways, which earlier won the award for best airline given out by AirlineRatings.com, also received the awards for the World’s Best Business Class, the World’s Best Business Class Seat and the Best Airline in the Middle East. Singapore Airlines, ranked second worldwide, won the top accolade for the World’s Best Cabin Crew, and was also honoured with awards for the World’s Best First Class, the Best Airline in Asia and the World’s Best First Class Seat. ANA All Nippon Airways maintained its No 3 global ranking, and repeated its earlier success by winning the World’s Best Airport Services award. Winning the 2021 award as the World’s Cleanest Airline is a particularly high-profile success during the global pandemic. Best Airlines in Asia of 2021 Singapore Airlines ANA All Nippon Airways Japan Airlines Cathay Pacific Airways EVA Air Hainan Airlines China Southern Airlines Garuda Indonesia Bangkok Airways Korean Air The World’s Top 10 Airlines of 2021 Qatar Airways Singapore Airlines ANA All Nippon Airways Emirates Japan Airlines Cathay Pacific Airways EVA Air Qantas Airways Hainan Airlines Air France The World’s Best Cabin Staff 2021 Singapore Airlines ANA All Nippon Airways Thai Airways Garuda Indonesia Japan Airlines Hainan Airlines EVA Air Asiana Airlines Cathay Pacific Airways Qatar Airways The World’s Cleanest Airline Cabins 2021 ANA All Nippon Airways Singapore Airlines Japan Airlines Qatar Airways EVA Air Cathay Pacific Airways Asiana Airlines Korean Air Hainan Airlines Swiss International Air Lines The World’s Best Low-Cost Airlines 2021 AirAsia Southwest Airlines Scoot Vueling Airlines IndiGo EasyJet Jetstar Airways Ryanair Jetstar Asia Flynas The World’s Best Long Haul Low-Cost Airlines 2021 Scoot Jetstar Airways Air Canada rouge LEVEL French Bee The World’s Most Improved Airlines 2021 Saudi Arabian Airlines RwandAir JetSmart Vistara Vueling Airlines Scoot Xiamen Airlines Flynas Air France Turkish Airlines The Best Airline Inflight Entertainment 2021 Emirates Singapore Airlines Qatar Airways Delta Air Lines Virgin Atlantic Qantas Airways Turkish Airlines United Airlines Etihad Airways Air France For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Matt Driskill at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Head of Sales Kay Rolland at [email protected]