Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) – South African Airways (SAA), which has been battered by years of financial woes, continues to slide down the ranks of the world's leading airlines.
For the fourth consecutive year, it has seen its position decline, while Ethiopian Airlines has become the new standard bearer in Africa.
The 2022 World Airline Awards, which were held in London at the weekend, saw South Africa’s national carrier drop to 79 on the list of top 100 airlines. It was ranked in 67th place last year.
Skytrax, which has been monitoring international airlines since 1999, relied on more than 13 million survey entries for the awards. Passengers were asked to rank their satisfaction levels at airports and on board their aircraft.
SAA's position peaked at 21 in 2013, higher than British Airways, KLM, Virgin Atlantic, and Air France.
Ethiopian Airlines which was ranked 114th at the time, has improved to 26th place in the global standings and was ranked "Best Airline in Africa" for the fifth consecutive year.
-0- PANA CU/MA 26Sept2022