Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has been awarded the prestigious title of “World’s Leading Airline” for a second consecutive year at the World Travel Awards (WTA). The accolade was presented to Peter Baumgartner, Etihad’s Chief Commercial Officer, at a gala event in London. The Abu Dhabi-based airline was also named “World’s Leading First Class” airline for the third year in a row.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ Chief Executive Officer, on such a prestigious occasion for his airline, commented: “To win the award for ‘World’s Leading Airline’ two years running is a phenomenal and unprecedented achievement for an airline that is only seven years old. Even through stern challenges, whether competition within the industry, worldwide security, the global recession, or natural disasters like the ash cloud in Europe, Etihad has shown that it is well equipped to manage through these difficulties and still deliver the best product and service to its customer’s year on year.”

Etihad was the first Middle Eastern airline to win the “World’s Leading Airline” award in 2009 and was credited for the excellence of its onboard product, luxurious airport lounges and strong service ethic during a period of phenomenal growth.

The WTA recognise the best airline, hospitality and tourism brands in the world, with more than 185,000 industry experts voting online to vet nominations on the basis of the airlines customer relations, creativity, quality of service, product innovation and business acumen. Etihad received considerable praise for consistently being the best in the air and on the ground.

Etihad’s success in London caps a great year for the airline as it had won six titles at the WTA ceremony for the Middle East in May, including the coveted title as the region’s Leading Airline.