Etihad Airways has received the coveted award for Best First Class at the annual Ultratravel Middle East Awards (ULTRAs) ceremony, which was held last night at the iconic Burj Al Arab Jumeirah hotel in Dubai.

The award is another major accolade for the UAE national airline’s First Class experience, which has repeatedly been voted best in the world.

The ULTRAs are voted for by the readers of Ultratravel Middle East, the regional edition of the United Kingdom’s exclusive Ultratravel magazine, a high-end luxury travel publication which was launched in the UK in 2004 in partnership with the Daily Telegraph.

Ultratravel Middle East is distributed in English and Arabic within The National and Al Ittihad newspapers.

Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways’ Chief Commercial Officer, said: “This award further validates and recognises the tremendous efforts which have gone in to creating the most innovative, stylish and luxurious First Class service in the air. We are incredibly proud to receive it.

Etihad Airways introduced ground-breaking First Class cabins with the introduction of its fleet of A380s and Boeing 787-9 aircraft, with five of each type delivered to date.