Singapore Airlines (SIA) has been named the World’s Best Airline for 2026 at the Skytrax World Airline Awards in London, marking the sixth time the carrier has secured the top global accolade.
SIA, which last won the title in 2023, moved up from second place last year to reclaim the top position, ahead of Qatar Airways in second and Cathay Pacific Airways in third. ANA All Nippon Airways ranked fourth, while Turkish Airlines completed the top five.
The Singapore flag carrier also picked up several other major awards, including World’s Best Economy Class, World’s Best Economy Class Onboard Catering and Best Airline in Asia.
SIA also finished second in the World’s Best Airline Cabin Crew category behind Cathay Pacific Airways.
Malaysia Airlines, meanwhile, secured third place globally for World’s Best Airline Cabin Crew, behind Cathay Pacific and SIA. The award evaluates both technical service delivery and softer elements such as staff attitude, friendliness, enthusiasm and hospitality.
Malaysia Airlines also ranked 21st in Skytrax’s global Top 100 Airlines for 2026, improving from 27th position in 2025, although it remained outside the global top 20. Regionally, it was ranked the 10th-best airline in Asia.
The national carrier also performed strongly in other service categories, placing second globally for Best Airport Services, behind ANA All Nippon Airways.
Separately, AirAsia retained its position as the World’s Best Low-Cost Airline, extending its winning streak in the category to 17 consecutive years.
AirAsia finished ahead of Singapore-based Scoot and Spain’s Vueling Airlines in the low-cost category. It was also ranked 26th in the overall World’s Top 100 Airlines list for 2026, up from 28th last year.
Skytrax said the 2026 awards were based on a survey of more than 24.8 million travellers globally, who rated more than 300 airlines between September 2025 and August 2026.
The annual World Airline Awards, launched in 1999, are based on passenger feedback and cover categories ranging from overall airline performance and cabin service to catering, airport services and low-cost travel.
