Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has been named as the airline with the Best First Class in the world in Skytrax’s annual World Airline Awards, as well as number six in the Airline of the Year overall category. This is the second year running for both honours for the Abu Dhabi-based carrier. Etihad was also recognized for Best First Class Onboard Catering for its signature ‘Inspired Service’ culinary programme.

Results of the latest Skytrax World Airline Survey, regarded as one of the leading rankings and benchmarks in the industry, were released at the Paris Air Show.

During the 10 month survey period, 18.8 million air travellers from more than 100 countries shared feedback on all aspects of their travel experience, via email, on-line interviews, questionnaires and phone interviews. They voted on their experiences on the ground, at the airport and onboard, as well as the quality of customer service delivered by each of the airline’s staff.