Qatar Airways Steals Spotlight As First Airline To Achieve A 5-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating By Skytrax

Whatever the state carrier of the State of Qatar does, they seem to excel it. Via a press release yesterday, Qatar Airways was more than pleased to announce that they have come to become the first global airline in the world to have achieved the prestigious 5-star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating by Skytrax; a United Kingdom-based consultancy that runs an airline and airport review and ranking site.

In December 2020, a team from Skytrax carried out a detailed audit that assessed how effectively and consistently the airline’s stringent COVID-19 hygiene and safety standards and procedures were followed, from flight check-in to all the way to onboard aircraft. This included of a full review of procedural efficiency checks, visual observation of hygiene and safety levels at all stages of the passenger journey, and onboard Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) sampling tests to measure the potential level of contamination of contact surfaces.

Prior to this achievement, the home and main hub of Qatar Airways, Hamad International Airport, was also named as the first airport in the Middle East and Asia to be awarded a Skytrax 5-Star COVID-19 Airport Safety Rating in December 2020.

The airline also achieved the ‘Diamond Standard’ in the Airline Passenger Experience Association’s (APEX) Health Safety Powered by SimpliFlying COVID-19 Audit, earlier.

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. Additionally, the airline also uses the most advanced HEPA air filtration systems onboard all aircraft and recently introduced Honeywell’s state-of-the-art Ultraviolet Cabin System, operated by Qatar Aviation Services, as a further step in the cleaning of its aircraft.