LONDON, UK- Singapore Airlines (SQ) has been named the World’s Best Airline 2026 at the Skytrax World Airline Awards, held at London’s Langham Hotel on September 18, 2026. Singapore Airlines also won the World’s Best Economy Class and World’s Best Economy Class Onboard Catering awards.
Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) is the airline’s main hub, while Qatar Airways (QR) and Cathay Pacific Airways (CX) followed Singapore Airlines in the global ranking. Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH) and Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) are key hubs for the second- and third-ranked airlines.
Singapore Airlines Takes the Top Global Airline Award
Singapore Airlines secured the highest accolade at the 2026 World Airline Awards, marking the sixth time it has received the World’s Best Airline title.
The award was announced during a gala ceremony at the Langham Hotel in London, where airline chairmen, chief executive officers and presidents gathered to receive recognition across multiple categories.
Skytrax CEO Edward Plaisted congratulated Singapore Airlines on the achievement and highlighted its results in several categories. In addition to the overall title, Singapore Airlines won the World’s Best Economy Class and World’s Best Economy Class Onboard Catering awards.
Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong credited the airline’s customers and employees for the recognition, saying the result reflected the dedication and professionalism of its workforce.
The World Airline Awards are based on passenger survey results and are widely known as the Oscars of the aviation industry. Skytrax introduced the awards in 1999.
World’s Top 20 Airlines in 2026
The 2026 global ranking included more than 300 airlines in the survey results. Singapore Airlines took first place, followed by Qatar Airways and Cathay Pacific Airways.
| Rank | Airline |
|---|---|
| 1 | Singapore Airlines |
| 2 | Qatar Airways |
| 3 | Cathay Pacific Airways |
| 4 | ANA All Nippon Airways |
| 5 | Turkish Airlines |
| 6 | Emirates |
| 7 | Air France |
| 8 | Hainan Airlines |
| 9 | Japan Airlines |
| 10 | Korean Air |
| 11 | EVA Air |
| 12 | Qantas Airways |
| 13 | STARLUX Airlines |
| 14 | Lufthansa |
| 15 | Saudi Arabian Airlines |
| 16 | Iberia |
| 17 | Air Canada |
| 18 | Virgin Atlantic |
| 19 | Swiss International Air Lines |
| 20 | Thai Airways |
Qatar Airways, which won the World’s Best Airline title nine times previously, ranked second in 2026. Cathay Pacific Airways ranked third, while ANA All Nippon Airways placed fourth and Turkish Airlines ranked fifth.
Qatar Airways Wins Four Major Awards
Qatar Airways recorded four major wins despite finishing second in the overall airline ranking.
The Doha-based carrier was named the World’s Best Business Class Airline for the 13th time. Its Al Mourjan Business Lounge The Garden also won the World’s Best Business Class Lounge award.
Qatar Airways retained the Best Airline in the Middle East title and received the inaugural World’s Best Onboard Wi-Fi award. Skytrax introduced the onboard Wi-Fi category in 2026 to reflect the growing importance of connectivity to the passenger experience.
Qatar Airways Group CEO Hamad Al Khater said the awards recognized the contribution of the airline’s 60,000 employees and thanked passengers for their continued loyalty.
Cathay Pacific Wins Cabin Crew and Lounge Awards
Cathay Pacific Airways ranked third globally and won two major customer experience awards.
The Hong Kong-based airline received the World’s Best Cabin Crew award and the World’s Best First Class Airline Lounge award. Its recently transformed The Wing Lounge was highlighted for its environment and service.
Cathay Group CEO Ronald Lam said the awards recognized the work of Cathay employees across its inflight and ground operations.
The airline also said it has committed around HK$150 billion to expand and upgrade its fleet, improve cabins and lounges, and develop digital capabilities.
STARLUX Named World’s Cleanest Airline
STARLUX Airlines won the World’s Cleanest Airline award in 2026.
The Taiwanese carrier also received its Skytrax 5-Star Airline Rating for the second consecutive year. The rating was awarded at the beginning of the 2026 ceremony in London.
The airline attributed the recognition to standards covering its cabin environment, inflight dining and other passenger touchpoints.
AirAsia Retains Low-Cost Airline Title
AirAsia won the World’s Best Low-Cost Airline award for the 17th consecutive year.
The carrier has held the title every year since 2010. AirAsia Co-founder and Capital A CEO Tony Fernandes said the award reflected the work of employees across its network and thanked passengers for their continued support.
Scoot ranked among the major low-cost winners, receiving the World’s Best Long Haul Low-Cost Airline award for the sixth consecutive year.
Vueling also recorded a notable result, winning the Best Low-Cost Airline in Europe award for the first time.
Air France Leads First Class Categories
Air France won three major First Class awards in 2026.
The French carrier received the World’s Best First Class, World’s Best First Class Lounge Dining and World’s Best First Class Comfort Amenities awards. It was also named the Best Airline in Western Europe.
The results highlighted Air France’s performance across its premium cabin and lounge offering.
Bangkok Airways Wins Regional Airline Award
Bangkok Airways was named the World’s Best Regional Airline for the 10th consecutive year.
The airline, widely known as Asia’s Boutique Airline, also retained the Best Regional Airline in Asia award.
The recognition marked a decade of consecutive wins in both regional categories.
EVA Air Takes Three Global Awards
EVA Air won three major awards in 2026.
The Taiwanese airline was named the World’s Most Family Friendly Airline, World’s Best Premium Economy Class, and World’s Best Premium Economy Class Amenities.
EVA Air introduced its Premium Economy product in 1992 and has continued to compete strongly in the category.
The airline also retained its Skytrax 5-Star Airline rating for an 11th consecutive year.
Major Regional Winners Across the World
Several airlines won leading regional awards during the 2026 World Airline Awards.
Turkish Airlines was named the Best Airline in Europe, Best Airline in Southern Europe and World’s Best Business Class Catering. It also ranked fifth in the overall global airline ranking.
Saudia won the Best Airline Staff Service in the Middle East award, while flynas retained the Best Low-Cost Airline in the Middle East title for a ninth consecutive year.
Air Canada was named the Best Airline in North America, with its Toronto Pearson Signature Suite also winning the Best Business Class Lounge Dining award.
Allegiant Air received the Best Low-Cost Airline in North America award for a third consecutive year.
Malaysia Airlines won Best Airline Staff Service in Asia and ranked third for World’s Best Cabin Crew.
Air Transat was named the World’s Best Leisure Airline for the eighth time.
ANA All Nippon Airways ranked fourth globally and won the World’s Best Airport Services award.
African Airlines Earn Major Recognition
Ethiopian Airlines was named the Best Airline in Africa, while FlySafair won the Best Low-Cost Airline in Africa award.
Ethiopian Airlines has received the Best Airline in Africa recognition for multiple consecutive years, while the supplied Skytrax material identifies the 2026 result as its seventh consecutive year in the award section.
RwandAir received the Best Airline Staff Service in Africa award.
The results gave airlines from across the African aviation market recognition in overall regional, low-cost, and customer service categories.
Hainan Airlines Wins Three Awards
Hainan Airlines secured three major awards in 2026.
The airline was named Best Airline in China for the 15th consecutive year and also won Best Airline Staff Service in China.
Hainan Airlines additionally received the World’s Best Business Class Airline Amenities award.
Iberia and EGYPTAIR Recognized for Service Improvements
Iberia won the Best Airline Staff Service in Europe award.
The Spanish airline said the recognition reflected the work of its employees and its focus on customer service. Iberia also highlighted investment in its people, products and digital capabilities as part of its Flight Plan 2030 strategy.
EGYPTAIR received the World’s Most Improved Airline award.
Skytrax described the category as recognition for quality improvement across the World Airline Awards programme. EGYPTAIR said its improvement efforts have covered its fleet, cabins, onboard service, digital platforms and ground operations.
IndiGo Wins South Asia Low-Cost Award
IndiGo received the Best Low-Cost Airline in India & South Asia award.
The airline has a large domestic presence in India and serves more than 40 international destinations across Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe, according to the supplied award material.
The 2026 recognition marked IndiGo’s 16th Best Low-Cost Airline award from Skytrax during its 20-year journey.
LATAM and Other Regional Winners
LATAM Airlines won two major awards in South America.
The airline received Best Airline in South America and Best Airline Staff Service in South America.
JetSMART Airlines was named Best Low-Cost Airline in South America for the fourth time.
LOT Polish Airlines won Best Airline in Central Europe, while Azerbaijan Airlines received Best Regional Airline in Central Asia & CIS.
Air Astana won both Best Airline in Central Asia & CIS and Best Airline Staff Service in Central Asia & CIS. Its low-cost subsidiary FlyArystan won Best Low-Cost Airline in Central Asia & CIS for the fourth consecutive year.
oneworld Named World’s Best Airline Alliance
oneworld was named the World’s Best Airline Alliance in 2026.
The award marked the alliance’s fifth win in the category and its first since 2021.
The alliance highlighted customer benefits, loyalty programmes, sustainability initiatives and premium offerings among the areas covered by its customer proposition.
Star Alliance also received recognition for its Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport Lounge at Terminal 1, which won the Best Airline Alliance Lounge award.
Key World Airline Awards Rankings
The 2026 awards included several major global categories beyond the overall airline ranking.
World’s Best Cabin Crew 2026
- Cathay Pacific Airways
- Singapore Airlines
- Malaysia Airlines
- Hainan Airlines
- ANA All Nippon Airways
- EVA Air
- STARLUX Airlines
- Garuda Indonesia
- Japan Airlines
- Thai Airways
World’s Best Low-Cost Airlines 2026
- AirAsia
- Scoot
- Vueling Airlines
- Eurowings
- Iberia Express
- Volotea
- Transavia
- flynas
- IndiGo
- Allegiant Air
World’s Best Regional Airlines 2026
- Bangkok Airways
- Porter Airlines
- Virgin Australia
- Aegean Airlines
- Azerbaijan Airlines
- Hong Kong Airlines
- JetBlue Airways
- Royal Air Maroc
- RwandAir
- Azul Brazilian Airlines
World’s Most Family Friendly Airlines 2026
- EVA Air
- Emirates
- Lufthansa
- Cathay Pacific Airways
- Singapore Airlines
World’s Cleanest Airlines 2026
- STARLUX Airlines
- Singapore Airlines
- ANA All Nippon Airways
- Hainan Airlines
- Cathay Pacific Airways
World’s Best Leisure Airlines 2026
- Air Transat
- SunExpress
- TUI Airways
- Sun PhuQuoc Airways
- Condor
World’s Best Airline Inflight Entertainment 2026
- Emirates
- Singapore Airlines
- Cathay Pacific Airways
- Qatar Airways
- Virgin Atlantic
World’s Best Airport Services 2026
- ANA All Nippon Airways
- Malaysia Airlines
- Japan Airlines
- Singapore Airlines
- Hainan Airlines
World’s Most Improved Airlines 2026
- EGYPTAIR
- Air India
- Royal Jordanian Airlines
- American Airlines
- Sun PhuQuoc Airways
World’s Best Independent Airport Lounges 2026
- Chase Sapphire Lounge – LGA
- Plaza Premium – FCO
- Chase Sapphire Lounge – HKG
- Plaza Premium – LHR T4
- Capital One – JFK
World’s Best First Class Airlines 2026
- Air France
- Singapore Airlines
- Lufthansa
- Emirates
- Cathay Pacific Airways
World’s Best Business Class Airlines 2026
- Qatar Airways
- Singapore Airlines
- Cathay Pacific Airways
- ANA All Nippon Airways
- Hainan Airlines
World’s Best Premium Economy Class Airlines 2026
- EVA Air
- Emirates
- Singapore Airlines
- Cathay Pacific Airways
- Virgin Atlantic
World’s Best Economy Class Airlines 2026
- Singapore Airlines
- Cathay Pacific Airways
- Qatar Airways
- EVA Air
- ANA All Nippon Airways
How the 2026 World Airline Awards Were Conducted
The World Airline Awards were introduced by Skytrax in 1999 as a global customer satisfaction study.
The 2025/2026 survey operated from September 2025 through August 2026. More than 100 customer nationalities participated, and the results covered more than 300 airlines.
Skytrax stated that survey entries were screened using IP and user information, with duplicate, suspect and ineligible entries removed.
The survey was available in English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish, Chinese, Japanese and Korean.
Skytrax also states that it pays the costs of the survey and awards process and does not charge airlines a survey entry or registration fee. The awards event is free to attend, with no sponsorship, royalty or award-logo usage charges according to the organisation.
The 2026 World Airline Awards therefore provide a broad passenger-based view of airline performance across global rankings, cabin classes, customer service, lounges, regional markets and other areas of the travel experience.
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