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 state 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.

Source: Aeroflot Company