Etihad climbs 9 spots to become one of world’s top airlines
UAE airline ranks highly for punctuality, service, and passenger satisfaction
ABU DHABI – Etihad Airways has been ranked among the world’s top airlines in the 2025 AirHelp Score, achieving an outstanding overall score of 8.07 out of 10 and climbing nine places compared with last year.
The ranking positions the Abu Dhabi-based carrier as the world’s second-best airline, reflecting strong performance across multiple operational and passenger-focused metrics.
AirHelp methodology
The AirHelp Score is widely regarded as one of the most trusted airline rankings worldwide. It evaluates carriers equally on three pillars: on-time performance, customer opinion, and claim processing. The 2025 results are based on flight data from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025, complemented by surveys from more than 11,500 passengers across over 60 countries.
Fleet expansion
Etihad’s remarkable rise comes amid a period of rapid growth. The airline has expanded its modern fleet to 120 aircraft, increased its network to over 100 destinations, and carried 19% more passengers year-on-year. Despite this expansion, the carrier maintained a strong focus on punctuality, comfort, and guest satisfaction, ensuring passengers continued to experience high standards of service.
Passenger experience
The AirHelp Score’s customer opinion rating considers cabin crew, seat comfort, cleanliness, in-flight food, and entertainment. Meanwhile, its claim-processing score assesses how fairly and efficiently airlines handle passenger compensation for disrupted flights. Etihad’s dedication to these areas has contributed significantly to its rise in the rankings.
Antonoaldo Neves, Etihad CEO, highlighted the achievement as a reflection of the airline’s commitment: “While rapidly growing our network, fleet, and guest numbers, we have stayed laser-focused on what truly matters: punctuality, thoughtful hospitality, and standing by our passengers when plans change.”
Tomasz Pawliszyn, CEO of AirHelp, added that Etihad’s ascent demonstrates the airline’s responsiveness to modern passenger expectations, emphasising honesty, accountability, and reliability in every aspect of travel.