Ethiopian Airlines wins the Gold Award in the African Airline of the Year 2011/2012 Award given by African Aviation News portal. Ethiopian Airlines emerged ahead of the pack garnering the highest number of the votes cast in by the readers and followers of African Aviation, who voted in an online poll, set up at the African Aviation's website as well as in various industry meetings and airline congress events attended by officials of African Aviation. More than 20,000 votes registered in total, with Kenya Airways getting the Silver Award and Precision Air Tanzania pegging down the Bronze Award.
In the past 65 years, Ethiopian Airlines became one of the continent’s most reputable airlines, unparalleled in Africa for its successful operations in industry service with maximum efficiency. It is at the leading edge of modern technology, maintaining the latest state-of-the-art fleets and providing excellent services to the pan African network and sixty two international destinations.
In addition, Ethiopian Airlines is conscientiously operating to make their Ethiopian Aviation Academy the best flying school in Africa. The Gold Award is a welcome addition to Ethiopian Airlines’ bevy of distinguished recognitions bestowed by different organizations in the industry, the latest of which is the ‘Airline of The Year for 2010 Award’ in the 43rd AFRAA Annual General Assembly.
Kenya Airways, Kenya’s largest airline and second-largest airline in sub-Saharan Africa, garnered the second highest number of votes earning the Silver Award. From its humble beginnings in 1977, Kenya airlines have proven its self-worth and steadily rose from the ranks to finally joining the global airlines service community as a full SkyTeam member. The airline has an impressive fleet of Boeing aircrafts and has serviced numerous transcontinental flights more than other African airlines.
In tangible conditions, within the next couple of decades, Kenya Airways aspires to progress towards a distinctly prominent airline in the African continent with dominant presence in Asia, the Americas and also the European countries, while maintaining a sophisticated fleet of aircraft. Kenya Airways promises to establish powerful relationships and continue to be a reputable associate of the international air travel network.
Not far behind in the tally of votes is the progressive Precision Air, Tanzania’s largest national airline, which got the Bronze Award. Precision Air is a pioneer in servicing scheduled, scenic and charter flight services from its three hubs in Arusha, Dar es Salaam and Bukoba. The company believes comfortable, quick, and reliable service is the best way to go through its customer-focused approach.
Precision Air was established in 1991, starting operations in 1994. From being a crop sprayer, operations expanded to service the demand in the tourist industry, thus scheduled services commenced in 1999. By 2006 Precision Air passed the IATA Operational Safety Audit coveting the first and Tanzanian airline to pass that audit. In the 2007/08 financial year, it has carried 465,349 passengers, which increased to 538,305 in 2008/09.
African Aviation believes that votes made by its readership, composed of aviation professionals and well-seasoned travellers, were based on the airline companies’ growth, overall service, reputation and reliability. The primary direction concerning commercial aviation lies in the fact that it is a very highly competitive and extremely unpredictable enterprise, whereby progress in performance and enhanced service provisions play significant roles in getting the consumers’ vote of confidence.
The crucial element to success within the industry depends on whether or not an airline has the capacity to distinctly prepare for the particular behavior of emerging transformation, the primary factors generating these transformations, and most importantly the capability to position its strategies to address a dynamic industry and aero-political community.
African Aviation, through its dedicated readers and followers, recognizes top industry organizations which have manifested excellent customer service, skills, ingenuity, creativity and success in Africa’s flourishing tourism industry. African Aviation's Airline of the Year Award is not just a measure of the airliners’ worth but stands for the valuable recognition from their satisfied clientele in all sectors of air travel industry. Once again, in pursuit of sustainable recognition and continuous support for the industry, African Aviation has launched the search for the “African Airline of the Year 2012/2013”.