Royal Air Maroc has been named the best regional carrier in Africa in this year's Skytrax ranking, while Ethiopia Airlines was voted the best continental company.

Uganda Airlines, RwandAir, and Air Tanzania were notably absent from the list released last week. Kenya Airways (KQ) received the "Best Airline Staff Service in Africa" award.

"This achievement is a testament to the unwavering dedication and exceptional service demonstrated by our team members each day," said the airline's chief executive officer, Allan Kilavuka.

The 2024 list was dominated by airlines from the Middle East, which claimed three slots in the top 20 spots. Qatar Airways was named the World's Best Airline, recognised for its high-quality service.

The Doha-based carrier has built a strong reputation over the past decade, boosting Hamad International Airport as a major global transit route.

"This is a remarkable achievement for Qatar Airways to win this World's Best Airline title for 2024, the eighth time they have triumphed," said Skytrax CEO Edward Plaisted."We congratulate Qatar Airways on this success, which should be a source of great pride and satisfaction for the airline management and staff."

The 25th annual World Airline Awards ceremony was held in London, bringing together industry players from around the globe. The awards are prestigious for carriers and are renowned as the "Oscars of the aviation industry."

Votes were collected from surveys of more than 21 million customers from 100 countries and about 350 airlines, according to Skytrax.

Singapore Airlines ranked second, Dubai's Emirates third, Japan's ANA All Nippon Airways fourth, Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific fifth, Japan Airlines sixth, Turkish Airlines seventh, Taiwan's EVA Air eighth, Air France ninth, and Swiss International Airlines tenth.