Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, has been named ‘Airline of the Year’ in the United Kingdom for the fourth consecutive year by the Travel Trade Gazette, TTG.

The Abu Dhabi-based airline beat strong competition to take the top prize at the ceremony, held at London’s Lyceum Theatre and attended by 750 leading figures from the British travel industry.

Mohammad Al Bulooki, Etihad Airways’ Executive Vice President Commercial, said, "To be awarded the coveted Airline of the Year award for the fourth time in a row is a real honour for the airline and one we are very proud of, particularly as it is based on feedback from the UK’s leading travel agents.

"The award reflects the continued commitment and tremendous hard work from everyone at Etihad Airways to ensure we remain at the forefront of international aviation year-after-year and is wonderful recognition of our strong commercial relationships with the travel trade," he added The TTG Travel Awards have a robust two-stage judging process, with a shortlist initially decided by votes from travel agents. Shortlisted companies then complete a thorough submission document outlining achievements and performance during the past 12 months, which is then judged by a panel of industry experts and leading travel agencies.

Etihad Airways was singled out for being the UK’s favourite airline by travel agents, and also won points with the judges for its strong business performance, passenger growth, fuel efficiencies and further developments to its premium product.

TTG’s Group Editor, Pippa Jacks, said, "The TTG Travel Awards have earned a reputation for being the toughest awards to win in travel, so any company who takes home a trophy this year can be sure they really are the best-in-class."