Turkish Airlines (THY) and SunExpress have been granted top awards at the World Airline Awards organized by international air transport rating site Skytrax.

The awards come as the travel industry recovers from the slump due to the coronavirus pandemic. Industry leaders gathered in London on Friday for the Skytrax World Airline Awards 2022, marking the first time the event had been held in person since 2019.

Türkiye’s national flag carrier won four awards, including Best Airline in Europe title – a highly competitive category – while SunExpress, a joint venture of Turkish Airlines and Germany’s Lufthansa, has been named the World’s Best Leisure Airline.

The awards, referred to as the Oscars of the aviation industry, are based on online surveys of more than 14 million customers from over 100 nationalities from September 2021 to this August.

An airline that flies to most countries in the world, Turkish Airlines also won awards for the World’s Best Business Class Catering and the Best Airline in Southern Europe.

At the awards, Qatar Airways was named the World’s Best Airline for the seventh time, winning the prestigious Airline of the Year 2022 title. Singapore Airlines was the world’s second-best carrier, Emirates third, Japan’s All Nippon Airways fourth, and Australia’s Qantas Airways fifth.

Turkish Airlines was named the world’s seventh best airline, out of more than 350 airlines included in the survey results.

"With our privileged service approach, which distinguishes us from our competitors, we continue to take firm steps toward our goal of making the Turkish Airlines brand the best in the world by building on the unmatched service we offer," said Turkish Airlines Chairperson of the Board and the Executive Committee Ahmet Bolat.

Skytrax CEO Edward Plaisted said, "We congratulate Turkish Airlines for their success at the World Airline Awards, and winning the award as the Best Airline in Europe is a fabulous achievement in what is one of the most competitive markets."

Established in 1933, Turkish Airlines has a fleet of 389 passenger and cargo aircraft flying to 340 worldwide destinations – 287 international and 53 domestic – in 129 countries.

Boasting international flights to Turkish tourist draws such as the coastal gems of Antalya, Izmir, Dalaman and Bodrum, SunExpress picked up the top leisure airline award for the first time.

"We always put our customers at the heart of what we do, and we work hard to deliver the very best experience possible to them at every touchpoint, every day," Max Kownatzki, SunExpress’ CEO, said in a statement on Saturday.

"Achieving this great success at the World Airline Awards after two of the most challenging years for the aviation industry is testament for our efforts. The fact that the award is based on the direct feedback from passengers is gratifying and a wonderful recognition for our great team."

Based in Türkiye’s coastal resort of Antalya, SunExpress flies to more than 175 destinations in over 30 countries.