QA achieves 5-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating

International air transport rating organisation Skytrax has awarded 5-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating to Qatar Airways (QA). QA has become the first global airline in the world to achieve the prestigious 5-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating.

The achievement of the Skytrax 5-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating is in addition to Qatar Airways’ home and hub, Hamad International Airport (HIA), recently being named as the first airport in the Middle East and Asia to be awarded a Skytrax 5-Star COVID-19 Airport Safety Rating in December 2020.

The announcement follows a detailed audit carried out by the Skytrax team in December 2020, which assessed how effectively and consistently the airline’s stringent COVID-19 hygiene and safety standards and procedures are adhered to, from flight check-in to onboard aircraft.

This included a full review of procedural efficiency checks, visual observation of hygiene and safety levels at all stages of the passenger journey, and onboard Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) sampling tests to measure the potential level of contamination of contact surfaces.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said, “As an industry leader and the ‘World’s Best Airline’, as named by Skytrax, we are well-used to setting the standard for others to follow. We are delighted that our commitment to providing the most rigorous and comprehensive COVID-19 safety programme in existence within the global aviation community has been recognised with the Skytrax 5-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating.

Skytrax Chief Executive Officer Edward Plaisted said, “We congratulate Qatar Airways on being awarded with the highest 5-Star COVID-19 Safety Rating and being the world’s first major airline to be certified at this level. Qatar Airways kept flying throughout COVID-19, taking over 3.1 million people home since the start of the pandemic, and it is this experience that enables them to deliver an excellent standard of health and hygiene safety measures to keep customers and staff safe.”