Qatar Airways, Etihad come second, third in 2023 Airline Excellence Awards

Qatar and the UAE's national carriers have won second and third place in the 2023 Airline Excellence Awards.

Qatar Airways was also named the best airline in the Middle East and won best catering. Its QSuite product was awarded best business class.

"Airline Ratings' Excellence Awards are aptly named, for, at every touchpoint, excellence is the goal at Qatar Airways led by its Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr Akbar Al-Baker," said AirlineRatings.com's editor-in-chief Geoffrey Thomas in a Wednesday article on the website.

"Mr Al-Baker's drive for perfection has led to many improvements in both Airbus and Boeing aircraft and travellers across the world are better off because of the passion and the pursuit of excellence of Qatar Airways."

The airline had been named the best airline in the world in 2022 and 2021 but was beaten to the top spot by Air New Zealand this year.

Etihad Airways, the UAE's national carrier, was the winner of the environmental airline of the year, holding onto its title from 2022.

"In every aspect, Etihad Airways staff and management are committed to reducing the airline's CO2 footprint and it shows," said Thomas, the Airlineratings.com editor-in-chief.

"The rallying phrase is a million things count in reducing emissions and thus the focus is all-consuming."