THE national carrier of the State of Qatar – Qatar Airways – has once again made the country proud by becoming the largest airline in the world. Just few weeks ago, Qatar Airways had also been acknowledged for its performance during the global pandemic as the best airline in the world by eDreams, one of Europe’s largest online travel agents.
Now new independent data from OAG has reaffirmed Qatar Airways as the largest airline in the world in terms of Available Seat Kilometers (ASK), offering more global connectivity to its passengers than any other airline. Qatar Airways’ expansive network of more than 1,000 weekly flights to over 130 destinations, provided over 2.6 billion ASKs during March 2021, offering the most flights to international destinations.
The global COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for the aviation industry and, despite this, Qatar Airways never ceased operations and worked diligently to take people home safely and reliably throughout the crisis. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, H E Akbar Al Baker, said: “At Qatar Airways, being there for our passengers, trade partners and corporate customers has been our major focus since the start of the pandemic. We have dedicated ourselves to being the airline passengers can rely on, operating with the highest hygiene and bio-safety standards.” It is to be noted here that Qatar Airways has also become the first global airline in the world to achieve the prestigious 5-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating by international air transport rating organisation, Skytrax.
The earlier accolade by eDreams was drawn on feedback from over 61,000 customers across 667 airlines awarding marks for service quality not only onboard but throughout each customer touchpoint, including flight refunds, reliability, ticket flexibility, value for money, overall experience, and safety. Qatar Airways had topped the rating with a score of 4.4 / 5, reflecting the range of measures to support customers and trade partners during the pandemic, including the most flexible booking and refunds policy.
Recently, Qatar Airways also announced that it would become the first airline in the Middle East to begin trials of the innovative new IATA Travel Pass Digital Passport mobile app, in partnership with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Qatar Ministry of Public Health, Primary Health Care Corporation and Hamad Medical Corporation. No doubt that due to excellent performance based on timely planning, the national carrier of Qatar has become the most reliable option for travellers all over the world and setting new standards for global aviation industry.
