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The “world’s best airline” headlines come round every year.
Skytrax, the UK airline rating company, announced its 2026 World Airline Awards in London on September 18.

This year’s winner is Singapore Airlines.
Last year’s champion, Qatar Airways, dropped to second, and this is the sixth time Singapore Airlines has taken the top spot.

Singapore Airlines Airbus A350 on the runway at Singapore Changi
Singapore Airlines A350-900 (9V-SHL) at Singapore Changi, November 2025. Photo: S5A-0043 / CC BY 4.0

The 2026 top 20

Rank Airline Last year
1 Singapore Airlines 2
2 Qatar Airways 1
3 Cathay Pacific 3
4 ANA All Nippon Airways 5
5 Turkish Airlines 6
6 Emirates 4
7 Air France 8
8 Hainan Airlines 10
9 Japan Airlines 9
10 Korean Air 7
11 EVA Air 12
12 Qantas 14
13 STARLUX Airlines 18
14 Lufthansa 15
15 Saudia 17
16 Iberia 20
17 Air Canada 19
18 Virgin Atlantic 16
19 SWISS 11
20 Thai Airways 29

From the official Skytrax top 100.

Korean Air stays in the top 10, but lower

Some Korean coverage described Korean Air as “entering the top 10”. The official table shows it fell three places, from 7th last year to 10th.
It did stay in the top 10.

Asiana Airlines and Korea’s low-cost carriers are not in this year’s top 100.
Elsewhere, Thai Airways jumped from 29th to 20th, and Taiwan’s STARLUX rose from 18th to 13th.

Korean Air Boeing 787-10 on the runway at Incheon
Korean Air Boeing 787-10 (HL8572) at Incheon, June 2026. Photo: S5A-0043 / CC BY 4.0

Category winners

Category Winner
World’s Best Economy Class Singapore Airlines (also best economy catering)
World’s Best Business Class Qatar Airways (13th time)
World’s Best Onboard Wi-Fi (new this year) Qatar Airways
World’s Best Cabin Crew Cathay Pacific
World’s Best Airport Services ANA
World’s Best Premium Economy EVA Air
World’s Most Family Friendly Airline EVA Air
World’s Cleanest Airline STARLUX Airlines
World’s Best Low-Cost Airline AirAsia (17th year running)
World’s Best Long Haul Low-Cost Airline Scoot (6th year running)

For choosing a ticket, these category results are more useful than the overall table.
Singapore Airlines for long-haul economy, EVA Air when flying with kids, Qatar Airways if you are spending miles on business class, and so on.

If you are curious about Singapore Airlines economy, see my Seoul–Singapore–London review and Sydney–Singapore A380 review.
For Korean Air there is the Seoul–Fukuoka A350 review.

Qatar Airways Qsuite business class seat and screen
Qatar Airways Qsuite business class on display at ITB Berlin, 2017. Photo: Travelarz / CC BY-SA 3.0 PL

How the ranking works

Skytrax ranks airlines from a passenger survey.
It ran online from September 2025 to August 2026, and more than 300 airlines are in the results. The survey was also offered in Korean.

So this is a passenger satisfaction ranking, not a safety or punctuality ranking.
Seats and service can vary a lot within one airline by route and aircraft, so check the aircraft type and seat layout of your actual flight when you book.

Sources: Skytrax – World’s Top 100 Airlines 2026 · Skytrax – Singapore Airlines named World’s Best Airline 2026 · Travel Times
Checked: September 26, 2026

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