Photo: Qatar Airways Chief Commercial Officer Marwan Koleilat, pictured right, is presented with the airline's Business Traveller Middle East award for Best Business Class in the World by renowned Michelin star Italian chef and restaurateur Giorgio Locatelli at a ceremony in Dubai.

It was a fitting start to Qatar Airways’ week-long presence at Arabian Travel Market (ATM), the Middle East’s premier regional travel trade show, starting today in Dubai.

Qatar Airways Chief Commercial Officer Marwan Koleilat collected the award on behalf of the airline from renowned Michelin star Italian chef and restaurateur Giorgio Locatelli, adding to the carrier’s growing list of international honours.

Voting by readers of Business Traveller Middle East was based on the strength of the airline’s inflight service, cabin comfort, ground hospitality and product offerings for travellers in Business Class. Superior seating with a pitch of up to 78 inches, above the industry norm, and fully flat beds are a hallmark of the airline’s Business Class cabin onboard its flagship long-haul aircraft, the Boeing 777.

In addition, voters gave their thumbs up to the airline’s Oryx Multiplex in the Sky interactive inflight entertainment system offering passengers across all cabins with over 1,000 diverse audio and video options covering music, games, movies, TV programmes and much, much more.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said the latest award reflected the airline’s continued commitment to excellence.

“On behalf of Qatar Airways, I would like to thank the readers of Business Traveller Middle East magazine for once again giving their vote of confidence to us and strongly believing in our product, service, hospitality and professionalism in the air and on the ground,“ he said.

“Our customers are true advocates of our product and it is a delight to see their support of our premium cabin across the network, whether on short- or long-haul routes for which we promise an unrivalled experience.”

Qatar Airways is exhibiting at ATM throughout the week, promoting its new Business and Economy Class seats on its soon-to-be-delivered Boeing 787 aircraft. The carrier is the Middle East launch customer of the 787 Dreamliner with 60 aircraft on order.

During ATM taking place at the Dubai Convention and Exhibition Centre, Qatar Airways is also promoting its new routes for 2012 and will unveil expansion plans covering a wide network of destinations across the carrier’s global network, during a press conference hosted by Al Baker tomorrow (May 1).

Over the next few months, Qatar Airways will launch flights to Baghdad, Erbil, Kilimanjaro, Mombasa, Perth, Zagreb, Helsinki, Zanzibar, Belgrade and Yangon.

Qatar Airways has seen rapid growth in just 15 years of operation, currently operating a modern fleet of 109 aircraft from its Doha hub to 113 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America.

Qatar Airways currently has orders worth over US$50 billion for more than 250 aircraft, including Boeing 787s, 777s, Airbus A350s, A380s and A320 Family of aircraft. Skytrax is the only global independent passenger survey monitoring airline standards and is considered the ultimate benchmark for excellence in the airline industry.

In addition to winning Skytrax’s prestigious Airline of the Year 2011 award last summer, Qatar Airways was named Best Airline in the Middle East for the sixth year in a row, and its Premium Terminal at Doha International Airport was named Best Premium Service Airport Terminal for the second consecutive year in 2012."

For more information, visit www.qatarairways.com