TOKYO February 14, 2013 -ANA, Japan’s largest airline group, has been named 2013 ‘Airline of the Year’ by Air Transport World (ATW), the leading monthly magazine covering the global airline industry.

Washington DC-based ATW bestowed its first awards for excellence in 1974. Over thirty years later, they are regarded as the benchmark of quality and achievement for companies and individuals within the airline industry. Winners are chosen by a panel of judges composed of ATW editors from all over the world, after extensive debate, with nominations submitted from outside the magazine and the editorial team itself.

The most coveted ‘Airline of the Year’ title is given in recognition of outstanding overall performance.

ATW Editor-in-Chief, Karen Walker, commended ANA for “its exceptional financial performance, fiscal management, customer service and technology leadership that set the bar for the entire global airline industry". She also added that "when you put in the kind of financial reports that ANA consistently posted through 2012 and provide excellent customer service despite a challenging market, that’s the signature of a first-rate airline."

The ATW editors look for superb innovation and leadership by executive management; strong financial discipline; a consistent and excellent safety record; proven leadership in community, eco and technology endeavors; and consistently high standards of customer service. ANA has achieved this despite a fiercely competitive home market, devastating natural disasters and political tensions which have negatively impacted the market.

ANA President and CEO, Shinichiro Ito commented: “We are truly honored to receive this award. It is a tribute to the dedication of each and every member of the ANA Group - past and present - for whom I speak when I thank all of our customers and partners for their support. We are proud, and humbled, to stand alongside the past recipients of this prestigious accolade."

A Gala Awards Presentation Dinner will be held on the evening of March 26, 2013 in Washington DC and Yoji Ohashi, Chairman of the Board at ANA, will be presented with the ‘Airline of the Year’ award on behalf of ANA Group.

Contact: Ryosei Nomura and Megumi Tezuka, ANA Public Relations TEL +81-3-6735-1111

About ANA Group
All Nippon Airways (ANA) is the eighth largest airline in the world by revenues (2011) and the largest in Japan by passenger numbers (2011). Founded in 1952, it flies today to 32 international cities and 49 domestic cites with a fleet of 233 aircraft serving a network of 171 routes. ANA has 33,000 employees and operates about 1,000 flights a day. In 2011, it carried 43 million passengers and generated revenues of $17.1 bn. ANA has been a core member of Star Alliance since 1999 and launched a joint-venture with United Airlines on trans-Pacific and Asia routes in April 2011; ANA also launched a joint-venture with Lufthansa, Swiss International Airlines and Austrian Airlines on Japan-Europe routes in October 2011. More than 24 million members belong to its Frequent Flyer Program, ANA Mileage Club. ANA is the launch customer for the world's newest and most advanced passenger aircraft, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

About ATW
Air Transport World is the leading monthly magazine serving the airline and commercial aircraft manufacturing and support industries. It began its annual awards program in 1974 to recognize excellence in the airline and commercial aerospace industries. Air Transport World is published by Penton Media (OTCBB: PTON), a diversified, global business-to-business media company.