Qatar Airways airline of the Year

Winning “Airline of the Year” is like being the country’s best auditor. You may be the best, but everyone still hates you. Qatar Airways was given this title by a leading aviation magazine (no, the other leading aviation magazine) for its focus on service excellence and high standards. The company has seen rapid growth from the start, spreading its reach to over 100 destinations worldwide in just 14 years of operation.

But this cannot just be contributed to luck. The company’s CEO, Akbar Al Baker, was a huge factor in their success and so was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Aviation Business Awards in recognition of his leadership and success in rapidly expanding the airline. Qatar Airways currently owns a fleet of over 100 aircraft to more than 100 diverse business and travel destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America and is on track to increase to more than 120 aircraft flying to over 120 by 2013. But they are not satisfied with these impressive numbers. The airline has orders worth over $50 billion for more than 250 new aircraft. This includes the 88 Airbuses and two Boeing 777 freighters that they purchased at the Dubai Airshow, where they announced seven new destinations and their new status as Airline of the Year. When asked about how the airline felt about its recent honors they responded, “I’m sorry sir but we seemed to have lost your luggage”.