Qatar Airways wins ACPETUR Best Airline award

Qatar Airways has been voted Best Airline at the 15th Annual ACPETUR Tourism Awards ceremony held in Barcelona.

Above: Qatar Airways Country Manager for the Iberian Peninsula, Greece and Cyprus, Marimar Laveda, right, proudly receives the airline's latest award from travel writers presented by Sonia Recasens, Second Deputy Mayor for Economy, Business and Employment of the City Council of Barcelona.

Organised by the Catalonia Tourism Journalist Association, Catalan travel writers and journalists recoginsed the five-star carrier for its commitment to Barcelona, highlighting the expanded operations from daily to 10 weekly flights, with superior in-flight services to an outstanding global network. The Ali Bey award for Best Airline was presented at a gala dinner at the Porta Fira Hotel.

Qatar Airways chief executive officer Akbar Al Baker said he was delighted the airline was being recognised in such a key market linking Barcelona with the Qatari capital Doha.
“2013 will be another big year for Qatar Airways as we continue to expand our worldwide network, welcome more aircraft into our ever-expanding fleet, and of course enter into our new partnership with the World’s Best Club FC Barcelona from the start of the 2013/14 season,” said Al Baker.

Qatar Airways vice president commercial north south west Europe, Paul Johannes said the award was an honour and a testament to the commitment of Qatar Airways to the Catalan capital: “It is wonderful to receive such accolades from such a well-respected group of journalists and travel writers as those in Barcelona. It reinforces the message to our customers that flying with Qatar Airways is truly a five-star experience.”

Qatar Airways Country Manager of Iberian Peninsula, Greece and Cyprus, Marimar Laveda, who collected the award on behalf of the airline, added: “This award symbolises everything we've set out to achieve since we started our operations in Barcelona almost three years ago.

“We are very pleased with the level of support we have received from the media, which further highlights the appreciation of our attention to detail and passenger comfort. We look forward to continuing to serve our existing Barcelona-based travellers and welcoming new customers onboard.”

The vice president of ACPETUR, Román Hereter, said: “We are proud that the Association of Journalists and Travel Writers have voted Qatar Airways as the Best Airline. The judges felt that Qatar Airways’ submission was very impressive, underlining the youth and dynamism of the carrier. A great product, rapidly expanding network and plenty of innovation.”

The past twelve months have seen Qatar Airways honoured with a host of several awards from around the world, including being named Airline of the Year for the second consecutive year by the prestigious Skytrax organisation.

Qatar Airways has been present in Spain for over seven years, initially launching flights to the capital Madrid, before introducing Barcelona to its network in June 2010.

The carrier now operates 17 services each week to and from Spain – daily non-stop between Doha and Madrid, and a further 10 weekly flights linking Barcelona with the Qatari capital and onward connections to scores of destinations across the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific.