Emirates crowned world’s best airline at ULTRAs 2024
UAE airline celebrates multiple award wins, setting global benchmarks
DUBAI: Emirates has been named 'Best Airline in the World' at the ULTRAs 2024 Awards, a prestigious title awarded by global travellers recognising the airline's excellence in service, innovative products, and value-for-money experiences.
The ULTRAs awards ceremony, held at London’s Kensington Palace, gathered top travel industry leaders and honoured Emirates for its unparalleled “fly better” philosophy.
This win is just one of over 20 awards Emirates has garnered this year, further cementing its position as a leading global airline.
Emirates at ULTRAs 2024
The ULTRAs, hosted by Ultratravel magazine with a readership of 1.2 million affluent travellers, is an influential award series in the travel industry.
Winners are selected by votes from a global network of active travellers, recognising the very best in travel and tourism.
Emirates has now won the top ULTRAs accolade for its dedication to delivering world-class travel experiences.
Thierry Aucoc, Emirates’ Senior Vice President Commercial Operations for Europe and the Americas, and Jabr Al-Azeeby, Emirates’ Divisional Vice President for the UK, accepted the award. Emirates President Sir Tim Clark expressed gratitude, saying, “We’re delighted to be recognised as ‘Best Airline in the World’ by the prestigious ULTRAs. Our investments in product and services, in our people, training and technology, all aim to elevate the travel experience at every step of the journey so our customers truly ‘fly better’, and we’ll always work hard to raise the bar for them.”
“World’s Best Airline”
This ULTRAs win adds to Emirates' recent honours, which include ‘World’s Best Airline’ by Telegraph Travel, ‘Best International Airline’ by Forbes Travel Guide’s Air Travel Awards, and the 2025 APEX World Class Airline Award. Emirates has consistently been acknowledged for offering one of the highest standards in passenger experience, ranging from comfortable, wide-body cabins to a wide selection of inflight entertainment.
Emirates operates the world’s largest fleet of Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 aircraft, equipped with signature amenities like the A380 Onboard Lounge and Shower Spa. Its inflight entertainment system, ice, offers over 6,500 channels of movies, shows, music, and more. The airline’s entertainment system was also recently awarded ‘Best Inflight Entertainment’ by Business Traveller Awards 2024, underscoring its premium passenger experience.
In the past year, Emirates has refurbished eight aircraft (including three A380s and five Boeing 777s) as part of its US$ 4 billion retrofit programme. Emirates also invested US$ 11 million in new and upgraded lounges at London Stansted, Jeddah, and Paris Charles de Gaulle airports.
The airline is also expanding its network, recently resuming routes to Phnom Penh via Singapore, and launching new routes to Bogotá via Miami and Madagascar via the Seychelles.
Emirates’ global reach spans 148 destinations, and the airline recently reported a record-breaking half-year financial performance, having transported 26.9 million passengers between 1 April and 30 September 2024.
‘Fly Better’ with Emirates
Emirates continues to earn accolades for its exceptional service, such as the Forbes Travel Guide’s Air Travel Awards, where it won awards for ‘Best International Airline’, ‘Best Culinary Programme’, and ‘Best First Class’. With a focus on delivering superior service, the airline recently launched a collaboration with Spotify, enabling passengers to enjoy an array of curated podcasts and playlists during flights.
Sir Tim Clark reiterated Emirates' commitment to innovation, stating: "Our multi-billion dollar nose-to-tail refurbishment programme will see over 200 aircraft receive fully refreshed interiors that will take the Emirates experience to even greater heights. Thank you to our loyal customers, and we’ll keep moving forward at pace to offer the very best in international air travel.”
To book flights, customers can visit the official website, use the Emirates App, or contact their local travel agents.