Qatar Airways has misplaced the title of world’s finest airline on the 2026 World Airline Awards, in a 12 months when the extremely regarded Center East provider has been disrupted by battle in its area.
Qatar was pipped by Singapore Airways for the Airline of the 12 months, which took out the No.1 spot after the Gulf provider gained the earlier two years.
Qatar Airways took second place – the place held by Singapore Airways final 12 months. It’s the sixth time Singapore Airways has taken out the highest award, a feat surpassed solely by Qatar, which has gained 9 occasions.
Qantas, in the meantime, climbed two locations from 14th to twelfth this 12 months, nonetheless far beneath its historic outcomes the place it persistently ranked within the high 5, together with as not too long ago as 2022. Nonetheless, the airline has continued to climb again from its nadir in 2024, the place it fell to twenty fourth amid a collection of scandals together with illegally sacking employees, promoting fares for flights that had already been cancelled and criticisms over the provision of rewards seats for Frequent Flyer members.
As common, Asian and Center Japanese airways dominated the highest 10, with Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific in third and Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) in fourth. Rounding the highest 5 was Turkish Airways, which began flights between Australia and Istanbul through Asia in 2024 and plans continuous flights between Australia and Turkey subsequent 12 months.
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Singapore Airways additionally gained the award for world’s finest financial system class and finest financial system class catering, and was runner-up enterprise class (behind Qatar Airways) and top quality (behind Air France).
The airline reported file income of $6.28 billion for the primary quarter of this monetary 12 months, even because it slumped to an $83 million web loss attributable to battle within the Center East inflicting gasoline costs to surge.
This 12 months a brand new award, for finest onboard Wi-Fi, went to Qatar Airways. It was the one class during which US airways dominated, taking all different slots within the high 5 behind Qatar (Delta Air Traces, United, Alaska Airways and JetBlue).
The World Airline Awards are based mostly on on-line customer-satisfaction surveys carried out by consultancy agency Skytrax, with passengers from 100 nations participating and greater than 350 airways that includes within the ultimate outcomes. Skytrax claims the awards are based mostly on the world’s largest airline satisfaction survey.
Some aviation consultants have questioned Skytrax’s methodology and the shortage of transparency in its awards course of. In accordance with some experiences, Skytrax has refused to reply questions associated to how its survey system works and even what the enterprise truly does.
Airways, nevertheless, are fast to trumpet the outcomes when beneficial.
THE WORLD TOP 20 AIRLINES IN 2026
- Singapore Airways
- Qatar Airways
- Cathay Pacific Airways
- ANA All Nippon Airways
- Turkish Airways
- Emirates
- Air France
- Hainan Airways
- Japan Airways
- Korean Air
- EVA Air
- Qantas Airways
- STARLUX Airways
- Lufthansa
- Saudi Arabian Airways
- Iberia
- Air Canada
- Virgin Atlantic
- Swiss
- Thai Airways
Craig Platt is the digital editor of Traveller and has had accountability for the journey content material on the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Brisbane Occasions and WAtoday digital merchandise since 2007. He has labored in journalism for greater than 25 years. Craig has a powerful curiosity in aviation and airways, in addition to wildlife tourism and (more and more) household journey. He has visited each continent, together with as soon as visiting six of the seven in a single 12 months (he missed Africa).