Air Malta has been ranked the sixth best short-haul airline in the world, in a survey conducted by UK reviewing company Which? .

Over 12,000 passengers were asked to list the carriers they had flown with over the past year and say how satisfied they were with them and whether they would recommend them to a friend.

Air Malta scored 69 per cent in customer satisfaction. A total of 22 short-haul airlines were rated.

“The survey by Which? clearly identifies Air Malta as one of Europe’s leading airlines,” said Philip Saunders, the company’s chief commercial officer.

“This excellent result reflects the contribution of all our staff members who put customers first and daily fly The Pride of Malta. Which? is recognised for its objectivity and quality of methodology and such ratings encourage us to perform better.”

Malta’s national airline shared sixth place with British Airways, scoring four out of a possible five stars in the categories of hand luggage allowance, hold luggage allowance, boarding process, aircraft temperature and cleanliness, seat comfort, food and drink, punctuality of flight and value for money. Air Malta scored three stars for legroom.

The worst-rated short-haul airline was Ryanair, scoring one to two stars in all the categories barring punctuality of flight and value for money.

Which? noted there could be different results next year as Ryanair has since announced a programme of changes, including a move to allocated seating and a reduction in baggage fees from January 5.

At a customer score of 32 per cent, the airline was preceded by Thomas Cook Airlines, which had a customer score of 36 per cent.

Meanwhile, the little-known airline Aurigny Air Services landed in the top spot of the short-haul survey with a customer score of 87 per cent.

Based in Guernsey, its fleet of propeller planes flies passengers between the Channel Islands, the UK and France. Many of the planes are so small that passengers can chat with the pilot and make do without cabin crew.