PARIS, France — Malaysia’s AirAsia Group was named the world’s best low-cost airline during the so-called Oscars of the aviation industry on Tuesday.
This was the ninth year in a row that AirAsia has bagged this recognition at the 2017 Skytrax World Airline Awards.
AirAsia, which is based in Malaysia, has been rapidly expanding in the region, with affiliates in Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, India and Japan.
It lays claim to having the biggest network across Asia and Australia.
AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes was present during the awarding ceremony, held in Le Bourget Airport, which is also hosting the 2017
International Paris Air Show this week.
Fernandes said the award, while “surprising”, marked a milestone for the company and the region.
“Today, Asean has created a world record,” Fernandes said.
“We are now nine times world champion. To put it into perspective, Brazil won the FIFA World Cup five times, Michael Jordan was NBA champion six times and Michael Phelps holds the record for most first place finishes at a single Olympics with eight gold medals,” he added.
The Skytrax World Airline Awards was established in 1999, and is considered the world’s biggest annual airline passenger satisfaction survey. It is not restricted to member airlines, such as those part of an alliance, and any commercial carrier can be nominated.
According to Skytrax, the online survey ran from August 2016 to May 2017, and considered 19.87 million eligible survey entries across 105 countries.
It said 320 airlines were surveyed.
AirAsia bagged other awards that day, including best low cost airline in Asia. Affiliate AirAsia X won awards for its premium seats and cabin.
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
