OREANDA-NEWS. Aeroflot today won the Readers’ Choice nomination and CEO Vitaly Saveliev was named Leader of the Year 2016 at the prestigious Air Transport News Awards, held at the Mozart House in Salzburg.

Air Transport News is a leading online news and analytical portal covering the global aviation industry. Awarded annually to airlines, airports and other industry participants, the Air Transport News Awards recognise outstanding achievement in aviation, and are recognised as the most comprehensive in the sector.

The Leader of the Year award recognizes outstanding top executives for their contribution to the whole industry, delivering sate of the art efficiency and innovative managerial approach resulting in remarkable achievements. Previously this high award was given to Raymond Benjamin, Secretary General, ICAO, Dr. Temel Kotil, CEO, Turkish Airlines and Robert Deillon, CEO, Geneva Airport.

«It gives me a great pleasure to present this award to Vitaly Saveliev, the first Russian to be named global leader by ATN,» said Dr. Kostas Iatrou, Managing Director of Air Transport News. «This award reflects the growing potential of Russian civil aviation in terms of both business and the high-quality management that is exemplified at Aeroflot».

Speaking at the ceremony, Vitaly Saveliev thanked those who had voted for Aeroflot and all of the airline’s passengers for their continued loyalty.

«It is a great honour and responsibility for me to be named Leader of the Year 2016,» Vitaly Saveliev said. «But this is not just my personal achievement; I regard it as recognition of all of the efforts of our whole management team and all my colleagues at Aeroflot.

«We are honoured to win two prestigious ATN nominations for the first time in Aeroflot’s history. This is recognition of the hard work that we have done to reinvent Aeroflot over the past seven years, and clearly shows that passengers appreciate the best-in-class service we offer on our young fleet of aircraft. We of course have no plans to rest on our laurels, but will continue striving to ensure Aeroflot achieves its strategic goal of being a world-leading airline and a worthy champion for Russian civil aviation.»

Readers of Air Transport News vote for nominees in each of the 14 categories, before a jury of seven industry experts examine each of the finalists’ profiles to determine the winner of the golden wreaths. Airlines are assessed on a range of criteria including service quality, innovation, new products and overall achievement over the previous year, as well as corporate responsibility and social contribution.

The Readers’ Choice award is effectively a Grand Prix, awarded to the company gaining the most votes during electronic voting in any category.

About Aeroflot

Aeroflot is Russia’s flagship carrier and one of the largest airline groups in Europe. In 2015, Aeroflot carried 26.1 million passengers (39.4 million passengers as Aeroflot Group including subsidiaries), a record for any Russian airline. A proud member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance, Aeroflot and its partners serve 1,057 destinations in 179 countries worldwide. Aeroflot operates one of the youngest fleets in the world, numbering 170 Airbus, Boeing and Sukhoi airliners. Aeroflot is among the global leaders in aviation safety. The company’s European Community Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft (SAFA) Index, which is the main globally recognized safety parameter, is comparable to global peers. The first Russian carrier to enter the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) register, renewing its registration for the sixth time in 2015, Aeroflot has successfully passed the IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) and is fully ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004 compliant. In 2015 Aeroflot was named by SKYTRAX as the Best Airline in Eastern Europe for the fourth time and for the first time was ranked among TOP-10 airlines with Best Airline Cuisine according to Global Traveler.