BY KOH HUI THENG

SINGAPORE Airlines (SIA) is the only Asian airline to fly into Fortune magazine's annual list of 50 All Stars.

Coming in at No. 33 on the list of the world's 50 most-admired companies, it ranks ahead of other brands like American coffee-chain Starbucks (34) and Finnish telecommunications giant Nokia (42).

The national carrier is also considered an industry leader in the airline category - the seventh straight year that it has made it to the top 5 in the category. While it has slipped to No. 4, its 6.85 score is higher than last year's 6.51, when it was second.

This is the result of the annual Fortune Most Admired Companies survey, which ranks organisations by industry in nine areas, such as innovation, people management, social responsibility and global competitiveness.

Since 1997, Fortune has partnered US-based global consultancy Hay Group which polled executive directors, senior personnel and analysts from over 1,400 companies across 64 industries to rate firms in various sectors.

These firms are defined as those with at least US$10 billion (S$14 billion) in revenue and having a presence in the United States.

This year, Fortune combined the America's Most Admired Company survey and the World's Most Admired Company survey into one, for a definitive report card on corporate reputations.

Mr Gaurav Lahiri, Hay Group's director of building effective organisations for South-east Asia, said: 'Asian companies face a harder task (of) making their brands known (on the global market). They have to create their own story and (identify) how people connect with their brands. SIA has shown that it can be done.'

Mr Nicholas Ionides, SIA's vice-president of public affairs, called the ranking a 'great encouragement' and paid tribute to his staff for their dedication. He said: 'Survey and ranking results drive us to remain innovative, efficient and entrepreneurial for the benefit of our customers and the company.'

The only other airline that made the All Stars list was American carrier Southwest Airlines. It shares seventh spot with US delivery firm, FedEx.

The other Singapore company that earned kudos on the industry- specific Fortune Most Admired Companies list was Flextronics. It is fifth in the semiconductor category, down from last year's second place.

For more my paper stories click here.