21 November 2024 
Montreal, 17 March 2013: The 2013 Air Transport News Awards Ceremony took place in a spectacular setting in presence of the leaders of the air transport industry.
Turkish Airlines was awarded the Airline of the Year. Dr Temel Kotil, CEO said: “On behalf of Turkish Airlines, I am much honored to receive such a significant award as “Airline of the Year” from Air Transport News since it is a distinguished online information source for our industry.
As a result of our ‘’zero-tolerance for laziness and bad intentions” principle, and of our love and care for our business and passengers, this award once again proves that Turkish Airlines is definitely the world’s rising star in aviation.
We highly appreciate this award as it will boost our ambitions for harder work to be always the best in our business”
Istanbul Ataturk Airport was awarded the Airport of the Year category. Dr Sani Sener, CEO/Executive Board Member, TAV Airports Holding stated that: "It is a great honor to be selected by a distinguished group of aviation industry experts as the 2013 Airport of the Year. It is also a great achievement to realize this award at a time when Istanbul Ataturk Airport is growing at an exceptional 20% rate every year - and is therefore a tribute to all our staff that TAV is consistently able to maintain very high industry standards amid increasingly complex operational challenges. I am personally very gratified that although our beginnings as a company was only 13 short years ago, we stand today at the pinnacle of our industry".
In the newly established categories AirAsia was the winner of the Low Cost of Year category and Genève Aéroport Airport of the Year 10-30 Million Passengers. Accepting the awards AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes said, “We are greatly honoured to be presented the 2013 Air Transport News ‘Low Cost Airline of the Year’ award, one of the aviation industry’s prestigious honours. Our never-ending dedication in providing premium services with low fares, constant innovations and matchless synergy of our short-haul and long-haul networks have greatly contributed to our success as the best low cost airline in the world. It is simply amazing to think that 11 years ago we only had 2 old planes in operation, and now we are operating 120 planes in five countries and continue to be the most profitable airline, despite volatile economic conditions. Thank you for the great honour bestowed upon us. We are deeply flattered and this award is truly a great start to 2013.”
And Robert Deillon, CEO Genève Aéroport said: “It is a great honor and pleasure for Geneva Airport to be nominated as” Airport of the year” in the category of 10 to 30 million passengers by Air Transport News. This price recognized the efforts we have made to follow the important traffic’s growth we had the last few years by upgrading our facilities and improving our customer’s service.”
"Bombardier is honoured to be recognized by Air Transport News as Regional Aircraft Manufacturer of the Year. This past year was significant for Bombardier given all the advancement made on our all-new CSeries aircraft program as well as the breakthrough into new regional markets for our Q400 NextGen aircraft and CRJ NextGen family of aircraft," said Mike Arcamone, President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft.
It is a pleasure for me to accept this award on behalf of our 27 member airlines, said Mark Schwab, CEO Star Alliance. We are honored that the readers of Air Transport News have given us this accolade two years in a row.
“I would like to extend my most sincere thanks to all voters and to the esteemed jury for Çelebi Ground Handling’s nomination as “The Ground Handler of the Year -2013”.I would like to gladly note also that; this award; is the most precious 55th year anniversary gift for 14000 Çelebi employees.
We will receive it with great honor on behalf of Çelebi Family” CEO Mr. Can Çelebioglu
Professor Tae Oum, President, ATRS: “I am greatly honoured to receive this prestigious recognition from Air Transport News for my life time achievements. I share this award with my family, colleagues and assistants who helped me all along for my research/teaching and for building the Air Transport Research Society. This will further stimulate me to be a better researcher and teacher with a renewed global perspective for building a better air transport system and healthy aviation industry.”
Angela Gittens, Director General, ACI stated that: “I am thrilled to receive this inaugural award Woman of the Year from Air Transport News. I share this award with all the other women in aviation who represent this dynamic industry and who work day in and day out to ensure its safety and sustainability. It is particularly gratifying to share the stage with my colleague Raymond Benjamin who has been named Leader of the Year and I assure you that ACI will continue to work alongside ICAO and our other aviation stakeholders to attain the benefits that commercial aviation brings to the world’s communities.”
Finally Raymond Benjamin, Secretary General, ICAO accepting the award of the Leader of the Year said: “It is a great honour to have been considered for this award, given the many leaders in the international aviation community who bring such tremendous levels of vision and determination to their organizations,” commented Benjamin. “I accept it on this occasion not so much on my own behalf, but rather in acknowledgement of the dedicated Council Members, Commissioners, Secretariat staff and experts from Member States, and many others who have helped ICAO become a more dynamic driver of air transport progress in recent years.”
Benjamin went on to stress that ICAO is only as successful as the parties it supports and brings together, and that he very much was looking forward to the sustainable economic solutions they would be forging at ICAO’s once-a-decade Sixth Air Transport Conference over the following week.
In particular, the winners by category are as follows:
Dr Papatheodorou, Chairperson of the Jury and Managing Director of DATTEA Consulting said: “Currently in their second consecutive year, Air Transport News Awards have already established a reputation as a major distinction for leading companies and personalities in the air transport industry. May I take this opportunity to congratulate all the winners on their achievement and thank the Air Transport News readers and the members of the Jury for their participation in the process.”
Dr Kostas Iatrou, Managing Director of Air Transport News stated that: “Air Transport News Awards have already become an important event in the air transport industry with an exposure to the whole world. Also Air Transport News Awards are the only international prizes that award all the main categories of the air transport industry. It is important to recognize and honor the best of the best both personalities and companies of the commercial aviation that helped the industry to move forward.”
About Air Transport News Awards:
Air Transport News Awards are the only international prizes that award all the main categories of the air transport industry. The award consists of a 24K gold-plated olive tree wreath inspired with the prize given to Olympic Games winners in Ancient Greece
