Air New Zealand is honored “for its superb commitment to safety and operational excellence, typified by the use of Performance Based Navigation cockpit technology at weather and terrain challenged destinations, and for its superb and groundbreaking customer service that combines high-tech, passenger-friendly IT systems with high-touch and caring staff”.

The magazine was also impressed by the airline’s strong role in fighting against environmental challenges, including conducting the world’s first sustainable biofuel flight.

“As most of our international visitors travel to New Zealand by air, it is a huge advantage for a country like New Zealand to be served by an airline that is recognised as offering a top quality service,” said Tim Hunter, CEO for Tourism NZ.

During the same event, Regional Express, another Australian based airline, was named Regional Airline of the Year.

There were shown reasons why the ERA had chosen airBaltic as the Airline of the Year. They are the following: airBaltin developed a new business model that helped the company to become a low cost operator. Also due to airBaltic, Riga became an important network centre. Despite of the economic situation it had significant traffic growth. Air Baltic provides high service standards to their customers.

In 1991The ERA Airline of the Year Award was first introduced. Success and achievement made by various regional airlines are recognized by the ERA Airline of the Year Award.

Quality, independence and fairness are considered to be the main aspects of the ERA Airline of the Year Award when judging. Usually the process of judgment is made with the help of reputable air transport journalists that come from all over Europe. The selection of journalists is based on their knowledge and ability to estimate achievements not depending on various circumstances.

The Era is the major association that represents interests of the intra-European air transport industry in Europe. It is a huge association that includes more than 200 companies that present the whole industry among them 60 airlines, 25 airports. ERA’s Airline members work in many Europeans cities and countries. It provides a possibility for their customers to travel in 390 cities of Europe and 55 countries.

Airline of the Year has been previously awarded to airlines such as Aegean Airlines, Eurowings, Tyrolean Airways. airBaltic is the biggest airline carrier in countries such as Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania and serves over 60 destinations in Western Europe, the Mediterranean part of the continent, Scandinavia and former Russian territories.