The world’s best airline in 2026 revealed

london —

war. Climate disruption. Soaring fuel prices. Passengers who caused a nuisance placed duct tape on their seats. Running an airline during these turbulent times is never easy, but some airlines are clearly doing better than others.

Recognizing that, the annual Skytrax Awards (known primarily as the Oscars of the aviation industry for their glamorous celebration of the global and regional airlines that take us where we want to go) have convened once again to recognize the world’s best airlines.

The winner for 2026 is Singapore Airlines. The Asian airline was presented with the award on Friday at a ceremony at London’s luxury Langham Hotel. There, the heads of competitive airlines briefly gathered in a mutual truce for handshakes, canapés and a host of other trophies recognizing everything from in-flight Wi-Fi to cabin cleanliness.

This is the sixth time Singapore has won the top prize in the award’s 25-year history, adding to previous wins in 2023, 2018 and in the 1990s. It regained the title from last year’s winner Qatar Airways, which has won nine times in the past 15 years.

In fact, as Skytrax CEO Edward Plaisted pointed out, the award is held almost exclusively by elite executives from the seven airlines, most of whom still managed to make it into this year’s top 20.

In the final results, Qatar fell to second place, with Cathay Pacific Airways, All Nippon Airways, Turkish Airlines and Emirates Airways rounding out the top six.

Only past winner British Airways was missing from this year’s list. American airlines were completely absent, a situation they frequently appear on Skytrax’s list, with Air Canada being the only North American representative.

Singapore CEO Goh Choon Fong said in a prepared statement that the big award was “a testament to the dedication and professionalism of our people”. Those people were among the many air crew members who attended the event in uniform, in a room dominated by dark blue suits. A lucky few were able to dance on stage in front of the assembled crowd.

Singapore also won trophies for economy class and economy class catering. There were many other prizes, all determined by a global customer satisfaction survey sponsored by UK-based aviation consultancy Skytrax.

Qatar was named the best airline in the Middle East and also won awards for business class, in-flight Wi-Fi and business class lounges. Cathay Pacific brought prizes to flight attendants and first class airline lounges.

This positive response could not completely dispel the many shadows currently facing the airline industry, including the Iran conflict, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, soaring oil prices, delays in new aircraft, and deteriorating U.S. international relations discussed on the sidelines.

Perhaps in recognition of the recent UK air traffic disasters that have caused major disruption to domestic and international flights, the event’s host announced that early prizes would be awarded for dashing into flights departing within three hours, saying: “Good luck then.”

However, Skytrax’s Plaisted said that even in a “bit of a bad year”, the quality airlines provide on their flyers continues to grow, respectively.

“The passenger experience is constantly improving, primarily due to increased competition in the industry,” he told CNN. “It takes a major event like 9/11 to actually cause a problem.”

Other notable awards included recognition of Taiwan’s emerging airline STARLUX being promoted to Skytrax’s 5-star rating category. Importantly, it also won the award for the cleanest cabin in the post-corona era.

Meanwhile, the award for Best First Class went to Air France, while fellow Taiwanese airline EVA Air won the award for Best Premium Economy. The top five low-cost airlines are AirAsia, Scoot, Vueling, Eurowings and Iberia Express.

Bangkok Airways has been named the best airline in Asia and the best regional airline worldwide. Ethiopian Airlines was the best in Africa, Chilean multinational LATAM was the best in South America, and Turkish Airlines was the best in Europe.

Air Canada was declared the winner in North America. It also won the trophy for Best Business Class Lounge Dining.

Mark Nasr, Air Canada executive vice-president, said the Skytrax award, which comes as the airline seeks to expand its role as a global carrier beyond just its routes to and from Canada, is critical to its survival, as airlines increasingly focus on companies spending heavily to stay afloat.

“The industry is becoming more competitive,” he told CNN. “Right now, it’s about premium travel and the growth of discerning customers. They have big budgets and airlines are investing to capture that business. As fuel prices rise significantly, the airlines that can sustain themselves will be the ones that can charge a premium to justify their product.”

Air Canada is well-positioned to weather the current storm thanks to its strong balance sheet, loyal customer base and resilient staff, Nasr said. The company will also survive the recent spat between Canada and the United States, incited by President Trump.

“Relationships wax and wane over time, but we continue to believe in the core strength of the economic and social partnership between the United States and Canada, which will see us through the current situation.”