Doha, January 12 (QNA) - Qatar Airways announced Tuesday that it has achieved Diamond Standard in the Airline Passenger Experience Associations (APEX) Health Safety Powered by SimpliFlying audit.
The Diamond Standard status, which is the highest level attainable, was announced by APEX and global aviation marketing consultancy, SimpliFlying, following a meticulous assessment of the airlines robust COVID-19 hygiene and safety standards.
Commenting on the occasion, HE Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker, said: "As an industry leader, we welcome the further recognition of Qatar Airways commitment to providing the most rigorous and stringent virus monitoring, detection and COVID-19 safety programme throughout our end-to-end passenger experience, in existence within the global aviation community."
"The awarding of the APEX Health Safety Diamond Standard was the result of a thorough and extensive independent audit of the airlines comprehensive COVID-19 protection and prevention measures, both on board and at Hamad International Airport, and reinforces the fact that air travel does not need to be a source of concern to passengers," HE Al Baker continued.
"As commercial aviation continues to deal with the challenges and impact of the global pandemic, we welcome the introduction of this and other relevant COVID-related hygiene and safety reviews, and would encourage other airlines to continue to build passenger confidence and assist with the recovery of the industry by participating wherever possible," he said,
APEX Chief Executive Officer Dr. Joe Leader said: "Qatar Airways COVID-19 protocols definitively met the highest marks for the Diamond certification level backed by their extraordinary steps for customer safety. The actions taken by Qatar appear centered around a singular philosophy: how can we innovatively maximize both our customer service and passenger safety hand-in-hand."
"Having flown recently on Qatar Airways with my family to the Maldives after negative COVID-19 PCR tests, the level of health safe service both in-flight and on-the-ground surpassed my highest expectations and even surpassed our best-ever pre-pandemic experience on the airline," he added.
SimpliFlying Chief Executive Officer Shashank Nigam said: "Qatar Airways has raised the bar for health safety standards in the industry by initiatives such as providing a face shield to all passengers, using Honeywells UV disinfection systems and advanced biosafety measures at its hub in Doha. Taking such hospital-grade in ensuring health safety will help bolster trust among travellers."
Qatar Airways onboard safety measures include the provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for cabin crew and a complimentary protective kit and disposable face shields for passengers. Business Class passengers on aircraft equipped with Qsuite can enjoy the enhanced privacy this award-winning business seat provides, including sliding privacy partitions and the option to use a Do Not Disturb (DND) indicator. Qsuite is available on flights to more than 30 destinations including Frankfurt, Kuala Lumpur, London and New York.
In addition, the airline also uses the most advanced HEPA air filtration systems on board all aircraft, and recently introduced Honeywells state-of-the-art Ultraviolet Cabin System, operated by Qatar Aviation Services, as a further step in the cleaning of its aircraft.
Qatar Airways currently operates more than 800 weekly flights to over 110 destinations across the globe. By the end of March 2021, Qatar Airways plans to rebuild its network to 129. Many cities will be served with a strong schedule with daily or more frequencies.
A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was named Worlds Best Airline by the 2019 World Airline Awards, managed by the international air transport rating organisation Skytrax. It was also named Best Airline in the Middle East, Worlds Best Business Class, and Best Business Class Seat, in recognition of its ground-breaking Business Class experience, Qsuite. It is the only airline to have been awarded the coveted Skytrax Airline of the Year title, which is recognised as the pinnacle of excellence in the airline industry, five times. (QNA)