Emirates, US-Bangla, Saudia Cargo win top honours at 'Airline of the Year' awards

Based on the opinions of frequent flyers, Emirates has been voted the Best International Airline, US-Bangla Airlines the Best Domestic Airline, and Saudia Cargo the Best Cargo Airline in the ShareTrip-Monitor Airline of the Year 2024 awards. 

The official announcement was made yesterday (5 July) at a ceremony held at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka, reads a press release.

This year's online survey saw participation from over 3,000 frequent travelers. Airlines received Gold, Silver, and Bronze trophies in record number of 23 award categories.

In special recognition of his outstanding contributions to the development and progress of Bangladesh's travel industry, the Jury Committee presented a Lifetime Achievement Award to Taufiq Uddin Ahmed, founder and chairman of Galaxy Bangladesh.

Md Fahimul Islam, secretary of the Ministry of Railways, graced the event as chief guest. Other notable speakers included Kazi Wahidul Alam, editor of The Bangladesh Monitor; Professor Dr M Sadiqul Islam, chairman of the Jury Committee; Sadia Haque, co-founder and CEO of ShareTrip; Mohammad Saiful Hoque, country general manager and CEO of Sabre Bangladesh; and Asif Ahmed, acting general manager of Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka.

This present edition introduced several new award categories, notably Most Popular Airline Brands in Bangladesh, under which 12 airlines were recognised. The Best Airport Lounge category continued this year, where MTB Air Lounge won Gold, EBL SkyLounge received Silver, and City Bank Amex Lounge took Bronze.

The selection of winners was overseen by an 11-member jury panel comprising distinguished individuals from various sectors. The panel thoroughly reviewed and validated the survey results before declaring the winners.

First launched in 2007 by The Bangladesh Monitor, the country's leading aviation and tourism publication, the Airline of the Year awards aims to honor excellence in aviation. This year marked the 11th edition of the awards. 

ShareTrip, Bangladesh's leading online travel agency, served as the title sponsor, while supporting partners included Eastern Bank, Sabre Bangladesh, Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka, and online travel agency BuyTickets.