PETALING JAYA: Malaysia Airlines has improved its rankings in this year’s Skytrax Awards, positioning itself as the world’s 39th best airliner.

According to the World Airline Awards website, the awards, which was announced yesterday, sees the national carrier move up eight places compared to 2023 where it was in the 47th position.

The improvement in ranking comes amid the airliner’s parent company Malaysian Aviation Group (MAG) bouncing back for the financial year ending December 31, 2023, when it posted a net profit of RM766 million.

MAG had recorded a net loss of RM344 million in 2022 and had last saw itself in the black in 2010.

Additionally, MAG’s decision to terminate its 26-year partnership with Brahim’s Food Services Sdn Bhd, late last year, caused a temporary issue with the airliner’s catering services.

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Qatar Airways topped the list to claim the World’s Best Airline title for the eighth time from Skytrax which recognises the quality of services provided to commercial aviation passengers.

Last year’s winner, Singapore Airlines, came in second, while Emirates bagged third place.

Japan’s ANA All Nippon Airways came in fourth, followed by Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Taiwan’s EVA Air, Air France and Swiss International Airlines, making up the top 10 winners.

Additionally, lost-cost carrier AirAsia managed to retain its hold on the World’s Best Low-Cost Airline crown, making it the 13th consecutive time the airlines under Capital A Bhd has managed to secure the award.

Notably, Bangkok Airways, which won the World’s Best Regional Airline award for the eighth consecutive year, and Ethiopian Airlines, which was named Africa’s best for the sixth year in a row.

The rankings are based on online customer surveys in multiple languages to over 100 nationalities from September 2023 to May 2024.

READ MORE: Malaysia Aviation Group in the black with RM766m net profit for FY23