Qatar Airways was the big winner of the Skytrax 2019 awards. Photo / Getty Images
Qatar Airways was the big winner of the Skytrax 2019 awards. Photo / Getty Images
Like a velvet runway, the red carpet was rolled out for Airline bosses at the Paris Air Show as part of the 2019 World Airline Awards.
The annual awards that recognise excellence in categories such as 'Best Cabin Staff' and 'Best Business Class' are voted for by customers and fiercely contended.
The Skytrax awards like to think of itself as "the Oscars of the aviation industry" and while they don't attract quite the same audience as the American Academy of Motion Pictures the airline plaudits spares no glitz and glamour. It is truly a first class event for airlines that aim for excellence in luxury travel.
The big winner of the night was Qatar Airways which landed the number one place being named both World's Best Airline 2019, World's Best Business Class, the World's Best Business Class Seat, and also topping the table in the regional Best Airline in the Middle East category.
Singapore Airlines cabin crew won the coveted Best Cabin Staff 2019. Photo / Getty Images
Meanwhile Singapore Airlines which won the Best Airline title last year was made to make do with supporting role in number 2. The Singapore-based airline did manage to come away with its own collection of accolades including World's Best Cabin Crew, and the hotly contended World's Best First Class, the Best Airline in Asia and the World's Best First Class Seat awards.
"Becoming the first airline to be named as 'Airline of the Year' for the fifth time is a landmark achievement," said Qatar Airways CEO, Akbar Al Baker.
"Combined with three other major Skytrax awards, it is testament to the tireless efforts of the entire Qatar Airways team."
Edward Plaisted, CEO of Skytrax was pleased to be handing over awards on the night. "All of today's award winning airlines are voted for by customers, and the focus of our annual survey is for travellers to make their own, personal choices as to which airlines they consider to be best," said Plaisted.
"We operate the survey and awards in a 100% independent and impartial format according to the commitment we gave back in 1999."
While Qatar was celebrating its near 'clean sweep' of awards, EVA Air took home the Skytrax award for airline cleanliness.
Fiji Airways landed first place in the Australia Pacific region. Photo / Getty Images
The Taiwanese 'Evergreen Airways' EVA topped the table for World's Cleanest Airline. Aussie airline Qantas was delighted by landing a top-ten performance, at 8th best airline in the world.
Air New Zealand's aspirations were left parked on the runway, coming in at number 16th on the top airline table.
However, both Australian and Kiwi national carriers were beaten to the top spot in Best Airline Staff in Australia Pacific by Fiji Airways.
Andre Viljoen, Fiji Airway's Managing Director, described the award as "a goal we [Fiji Airways] set out to achieve in 2015."
"It has been a four-year improvement journey to raise us to a 4-Star airline status."
The World's Top 10 Airlines of 2019
Qatar CEO Akbar Al Baker accepts the awards on behalf of his airline. Photo / Supplied
1.Qatar Airways 2.Singapore Airlines 3.ANA All Nippon Airways 4.Cathay Pacific 5.Emirates 6.EVA Air 7.Hainan Airlines 8.Qantas Airways 9.Lufthansa 10.Thai Airways
World's Best Cabin Staff 2019
1.Singapore Airlines 2.Garuda Indonesia 3.ANA All Nippon Airways 4.Thai Airways 5.EVA Air 6.Cathay Pacific 7.Hainan Airlines 8.Japan Airlines 9.Qatar Airways 10.China Airlines
