Cathay Pacific, an airline based in Hong Kong, has been named "Airline of the Year" in the Skytrax passenger poll this year, according to the Airport Authority of Hong Kong Tuesday.

London-based Skytrax Research, an authoritative research institute within the industry, said its 2005 World Airline Awards poll was the world's largest passenger survey ever with more than 12.3 million eligible nominations. Votes were cast by 94 different nationalities from June 2004 to May 2005.

The famous airline in Hong Kong also won the "Best Airline Asia, " "Best First Class" and "Best First and Business Class Lounges" awards in this year's poll.

Cathay Pacific Chief Executive Philip Chen said, "To be voted Airline of the Year is an award to the hard work of every member of Cathay Pacific staff and the continuous support from all of our business partners."

(Xinhua News Agency September 8, 2005)