Dubai-based Emirates Airline has added another set of highly coveted accolades to its impressive trophy collection, winning the ‘Best Middle East/African Airline’ award at the 2008 Business Traveller Asia-Pacific Awards, Hong Kong, and the ‘Best First Class’ title at the Golden Wing Awards 2008, Shanghai.

Over 400 travel and hospitality professionals celebrated Emirates’ triumph as it notched up its eighth consecutive ‘Best Middle East/African Airline’ prize title at the Asia Pacific region’s most prestigious travel and tourism industry event, held in Hong Kong.

The airline’s ultra-luxurious First Class product also received top honours at the 2nd Golden Wing Awards held in mainland China, and co-founded by the Oriental Morning Post and the globally authoritative magazine, Travel + Leisure (Chinese edition).

The awards reveal the results of annual votes polled by readers and frequent travellers.

Richard Vaughan, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, East Asia & Australasia said: “Emirates is delighted to win these two prestigious awards as it reflects a vote of confidence from our customers in the Asia Pacific region.”

Emirates serves the region with 149 weekly flights to 18 destinations. In the financial year 2007-08, the region contributed approximately 30% of the airline’s revenue, demonstrating its significance to Emirates' overall business.

Richard added: “In the fiercely-contested air travel segment, seat comfort, inflight entertainment, cabin crew service and network connections are key differentiators. We intend to stay ahead of the game with ground-breaking products and services and a constantly-expanding international network.”

Emirates offers its Asia Pacific customers connections to 28 gateways in the Middle East and Africa. The airline has invested over AED 180 million to introduce an enhanced version of its First Class product. Its pioneering First Class private suites feature a fully-flat bed with in-seat massage, dine-on-demand room service, in-suite personal mini bar, and sliding doors for the ultimate in privacy. New, luxury amenity kits, containing exclusive products by Bvlgari, are now offered to passengers on long-haul flights travelling from/to the Asia Pacific region.

Emirates has won top honours this year including the ‘World's Best Airline Inflight Entertainment 2008’ from Skytrax; ‘Best Air Cargo Carrier Middle East’ (for the 13th consecutive year) from Cargo News Asia’; and the ‘Best Middle East Cargo Airline’ (for the 20th consecutive year) from Air Cargo News.