With over 5,000 airlines registered with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) codes, no Nigerian airline was listed among the top 20 best airlines globally.
Africa’s largest carrier, Ethiopian Air also did not make the list.
According to the rankings, Qatar Airways, the flag carrier of Qatar and a member of the One world airline alliance secures the top spot as the world’s best airlines.
The national carrier of Singapore, Singapore Airlines, which operates its primary hub at Singapore Changi Airport came second.
As a member of the Star Alliance, the airline benefits from extensive global connectivity. Qantas, Australia’s national airline and flag carrier, which operates with primary hubs located at Brisbane Airport, Melbourne Airport, and Sydney Airport took third while Korean Air, South Korea’s prominent airline and national flag carrier came fourth.
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Renowned Japanese airline, All Nippon Airways, and Etihad Airways representing the United Arab Emirates occupied the fifth and sixth position.
Others include Turkish Airlines, Japan Airlines, Emirates, EVA Air, AirFrance-KLM, Cathay Pacific Airways, Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, Air New Zealand, Finnair, Virgin Australia, JetBlue, Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines
The ICAO codes are two to four-letter codes used by pilots and air traffic controllers in their communication when making flight operations.
However, according to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, “There are about 39 Air Operator Certificate, AOC holders (for scheduled and non-schedule flight operations) in the country, while about 28 foreign airlines are operating to Nigeria.”
For instance, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport alone, 27 airlines operate and serve flights to and from 43 destinations.
Recently, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicted significant growth for the airline industry in 2023, with net profits projected to double to about $10 billion and operating profits expected to surpass $22.4 billion.
Also, the international body also disclosed that passenger numbers are expected to reach over 4.35 billion. “Revenues are also anticipated to surpass $800 billion, indicating astrong recovery.
“The industry’s recovery is evident in Airbus and Boeing’s growing aircraft orders and deliveries,” IATA stated.
However, the ranking parameters utilised by Airline Ratings and Skytrax World Airline Awards evaluate airlines using criteria such as safety records, punctuality, passenger comfort, service quality, frequent flyer programs, global network, environmental ustainability efforts, and price competitiveness, among other factors.
An average ranking method is employed to mitigate the subjectivity of airline assessments, as it tends to yield more favourable results by considering the scores from both organisations.