Emirates voted the best

Emirates Group Chairman, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum today received the prestigious accolades from Tony Clegg-Butt - Publisher & Editor of Travel & Lifestyle magazine.

Several thousand readers of the magazine based in East Africa cast their votes in favour of Emirates Airline.

The award winning airline currently operates double daily flights between Nairobi and Dubai, as well as daily flights to Entebbe and Dar es Salaam.

Commenting on the occasion, Sheikh Ahmed, said: "Emirates is delighted to receive these awards from East Africa's most influential travel publication. The awards are a testimony of the high standards of quality and customer service offered by Emirates to its passengers."

He added: "Accolades such as these spur us to bolster our network operations and service levels in all markets, not least Africa."

Tony Clegg-Butt noted: "Emirates has been making positive strides in the region. By giving Emirates top honours, our readers have demonstrated their faith in the airline, its operations and services. The airline is definitely doing all the right things in this market."

Also present at the occasion were Emirates' Senior Vice President Commercial Operations Africa, Nasser bin Kherbash and Emirates' Regional Manager East Africa, Khalid Hassan.

Emirates recently strengthened its presence in East Africa when it moved into its new regional headquarters in Nairobi. Prior to that in October 2004, Emirates SkyCargo introduced a dedicated freighter service from Johannesburg to Amsterdam via Nairobi. The dedicated cargo service using a Boeing 747- 400 freighter caters to the intense demand for Kenya's horticultural exports into Europe.

Said Hassan: "Emirates has emerged as the clear winner in Travel & Lifestyle magazine's annual survey. Our superior customer service, both in the passenger and cargo operations have paid dividends for us in this region. It is indeed, a very proud moment for the entire Emirates East African team."

Since its launch in 1985, Emirates has received more than 270 international awards in recognition of its efforts to provide unsurpassed levels of customer service.

It is continuously voted as best in the world. Prestigious international accolades include The Best Economy Class - Skytrax Airline of the Year Awards 2004, Best Airline Based in the Middle East/ Indian Sub-Continent - Official Airline Guide (OAG) 2004, Best Airline - Marco Polo Award 2004.