OREANDA-NEWS. June 26, 2013. Air Astana, the Kazakhstan flag carrier, is celebrating at the 50th Paris Airshow after once again achieving a Skytrax 4 Star rating and being named as the Best Airline in Central Asia and India at the 2013 World Airline Awards ceremony yesterday.

Both awards were previously given to Air Astana at the 2012 event in the UK. In addition for 2013, Air Astana was presented with the Best Staff Service in Central Asia and India as well.

The World Airline Awards are the primary benchmarking tool for Passenger Satisfaction levels of airlines throughout the world, delivering a unique survey format based on analysis of business and leisure travellers, across all cabin travel types (First Class, Business Class, Premium Economy Class and Economy class).

Air travellers were surveyed by telephone, questionnaires and online about their experiences with airlines on the ground and in the air over a 10 month period. The survey measured passenger satisfaction across a wide range of performance indicators of airline front-line product and service, including check-in, boarding, onboard seat comfort, cabin cleanliness, food, beverages, in-flight entertainment and staff service. The survey covered over 200 airlines, from the largest international airlines to smaller domestic carriers.

"On behalf of over 4,000 dedicated Air Astana staff, I’m greatly honoured to receive the latest World Airline awards, which re-confirm our status as the leading carrier from Central Asia," said Peter Foster, President of Air Astana. "I’m also proud to have our newest Embraer E190 on display at show, since its popularity in service over the past two years has greatly contributed to our success".