Gurugram-based Indigo has been voted eighth among the world's best low-cost airlines by the World Airline Awards at the 2019 Paris Air Show. Qatar Airways has been named the world's best carrier. This is the fifth time that Qatar Airways has surpassed carriers like Emirates and Lufthansa. In addition to the title, the airline won awards for the Best Business Class, the World's Best Business Class Seat and the Best Airline in the Middle East.
Akbar Al Baker, the Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, said, "We are thrilled to be globally recognised by our customers by winning these four prestigious awards. Becoming the first airline to be named as 'Airline of the Year' for the fifth time is a landmark achievement."
Singapore Airlines was awarded for having the World's Best Cabin Crew, World's Best First Class, the Best Airline in Asia and the World's Best First Class Seat.
Qatar Airways was launched in 1997 and has a worldwide network of 160 destinations. It currently has a fleet size of 226 aircraft and 15 corporate jet subsidiaries. The airways have an employee strength of more than 45,000 staff worldwide.
The World Airline Awards was introduced in 1990 with the aim of providing a global customer satisfaction study. The awards are otherwise known as "the Oscars of the aviation industry". The survey attracted a footfall of about 100 nationalities with about 21.65 million eligible entries counted in the results. The survey results featured about 300 airlines in 2018-19.
