This is a great honor and recognition of the work and effort put in by all Widerøe’s employees, states Managing Director in Widerøes Flyveselskap, Lars Kobberstad.  It is particularly exciting to win an award rewarded by the industry itself, continues Kobberstad.

ERA’s Airline of the Year Award is presented every year. Competition is fierce between the various airline members of the European Airline organization. Widerøe has previously won both bronze and silver, however this is the first time the company wins the gold medal and is awarded Airline of the Year in Europe.

Of course it is fantastic for a small Norwegian company to go all the way to the top, states Kobberstad, and promises that there will be a big celebration when he returns to Norway with the trophy.

In his Dublin speech Thursday night, Director General of ERA Mr. Mike Ambrose stated that the judging panel was impressed by Widerøe’s performance in many aspects. In particular Widerøe’s ability to excel in all operational and financial parameters impressed the judging panel.

The judging panel also points out Widerøe as a truly regional airline and even if the airline operate in challenging weather conditions, most of the measures of performance are at the top.

Lars Kobberstad approach is slightly more humble;  -This is truly a great acknowledgement. However, new challenges present itself every day and we cannot afford to slow down in our efforts to increase the quality and efficiency of our service offering. This is never the less an important step towards fulfilling our vision of becoming the leading regional airline company in Europe.