The awards, featured in the February issue of the magazine, were announced at a party on January 10 after being decided by a panel from the editorial team at the style bible.

Wallpaper travel editor Jeroen Bergmans said the awards were for innovations in terms of design and luxury.

Often, first-class lounges look bland, corporate and at best like a modern furniture showroom. The food in first and business classes may be Michelin-starred, the service of a very high standard and the seats able to convert into flatbeds, but it is rare to come across a product that is fun and quirky.

Eva Air's Hello Kitty jet is camp, crazy and quintessentially Asian and will keep those wailing children entertained throughout the flight. Eva Air's two Hello Kitty jets have proved amazingly popular on routes from Taiwan to Japan, with flights booked up for months in advance and a huge demand for Hello Kitty memorabilia from Eva Air.

Eva Air spokesperson KW Nieh said passengers loved Eva Air's Hello Kitty jets and called it gratifying to be recognised internationally as an innovative airline.

The new Hello Kitty theme can be seen inside and outside the aircraft. Introduced last October, the theme entertains passengers on special flights from Taipei to Nagoya, Osaka and Sendai, while the second jet complements Eva's established, successful Hello Kitty jet services to Fukuoka and Tokyo.