QATAR Airways was named Best Airline Middle East at the 2010 Skytrax World Airline Awards, which took place in Hamburg, Germany, with Etihad in second place and Emirates in third.

Qatar was also judged among the top three airlines in the world and took the award for the World’s Best Business Class and best business-class catering.

The airline became the first to receive the new Staff Service Excellence Award for the Middle East, which replaces the best cabin staff category, which Qatar has won for the last seven years.

CEO Akbar Al Baker said: “It is extremely gratifying to be honoured with these achievements which recognise the outstanding efforts of our employees in the air an on the ground.”

Kuwait’s Wataniya Airways come second in the annual Staff Service Excellence category following a survey which reviewed 200 airline companies around the world over a period of 10 months between July 2009 and April 2010.

Wataniya chairman Abdulsalam Al Bahar said: “We are extremely proud of this recognition. Since Wataniya Airways launched in January 2009, our staff have always strived to provide our guests with the highest possible quality of service. To achieve this level of excellence in our first year of operation is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team.”

Etihad’s first class section proved a world beater taking the awards in the categories for World's Best First Class, Best First Class Airline Seat and Best First Class Onboard Catering.

COO Peter Baumgartner said: “In 2008 we introduced a new business class product and we won the Skytrax award for Best Business Class so it is hugely satisfying, 12 months later, to introduce our new first class suite and to win the awards for Best First Class, Best First Class Seat and Best first Class Onboard Service.”

Abu Dhabi International Airport was also named the world’s Most Improved Airport 2009-2010 at the awards which are based on the votes of more than 9.8 million travellers from 100 different countries.

And in the European section Lufthansa was voted Best Airline in Europe and its sister company Swiss earned the top award for service excellence with Austrian Airlines, another member of the Lufthansa Group, taking second place.