Singapore Airlines Was Named Asia’s Best Airline Again in 2026, Ahead of Cathay Pacific and ANA. Six of the World’s Top 10 Airlines Are Asian

Asia’s best airline is also the world’s best airline this year. The chasing pack behind it is almost as strong.

Singapore Airlines is the best airline in Asia for 2026, according to the Skytrax World Airline Awards announced in London on September 18, 2026. It kept the regional title it also won in 2025.

Cathay Pacific came second, ANA All Nippon Airways third and Hainan Airlines fourth. On the same night, Singapore Airlines took the World’s Best Airline title back from Qatar Airways, the sixth time it has won it.

Why Singapore Airlines keeps winning Asia

Economy class is the surprising answer. Skytrax named Singapore Airlines the World’s Best Economy Class for 2026, and gave it the world title for economy class catering too.

That matters because the awards are a passenger vote. Skytrax’s survey ran from September 2025 to August 2026 and drew customers of more than 100 nationalities.

The front of the cabin did not hurt. Singapore Airlines also won the World’s Best First Class Seat, and in Asia it took Best First Class, Best Business Class and Best Economy Class.

Skytrax placed it second in the world for cabin crew, cleanliness, inflight entertainment, first class and business class.

“We are grateful to our customers for their trust and support,” CEO Goh Choon Phong said.

It beat its Hong Kong rival overall, but not everywhere. Our Singapore Airlines vs Cathay Pacific comparison covers the categories where Cathay came out ahead.

The 10 best airlines in Asia, by the numbers

This is Skytrax’s “Best Airlines in Asia 2026” list in its own order, with each airline’s place in the Skytrax World’s Top 100 and in the AirlineRatings 2026 full-service list, as of November 2026.

Rank	Airline	Skytrax world rank 2026 (2025)	AirlineRatings 2026
1	Singapore Airlines	1 (2)	Full-service #3
2	Cathay Pacific	3 (3)	Full-service #2
3	ANA All Nippon Airways	4 (5)	Full-service #15
4	Hainan Airlines	8 (10)	Full-service #14
5	Japan Airlines	9 (9)	Full-service #6
6	Korean Air	10 (7)	Full-service #4
7	EVA Air	11 (12)	Full-service #11
8	STARLUX Airlines	13 (18)	Full-service #5
9	Thai Airways	20 (29)	Full-service #21
10	Malaysia Airlines	21 (27)	Full-service #20

The top six in Asia are also six of the world’s top 10. The other four places went to Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, Emirates and Air France.

Cathay Pacific held third in the world and won the World’s Best Airline Cabin Staff. Its lounges at Hong Kong took the world title for first class lounges, plus Asia’s first and business class lounge awards.

ANA climbed to fourth in the world and won the World’s Best Airport Services. Japan Airlines held ninth without a category award, but Skytrax placed it third in the world for airport services, so both Japanese airlines finished in that category’s top three.

Hainan Airlines rose to eighth and won Best Airline in China for the 15th year in a row. It also took the world title for business class amenities.

Taiwan has two airlines in the top 10. EVA Air won the World’s Best Premium Economy Class and World’s Most Family Friendly Airline, and STARLUX, which climbed five places to 13th, was named the World’s Cleanest Airline.

Both hold Skytrax’s 5-Star rating. EVA Air has kept it for 11 consecutive years, its executive Albert Liao said, and STARLUX received it for the second year running.

Korean Air slipped, and Thai Airways jumped nine places

Korean Air was the only airline in Asia’s top 10 to lose ground in the world list. It fell from seventh to 10th, and its only award outside Korea was for its economy class seat.

Thai Airways went the other way, from 29th to 20th, the biggest climb in Asia’s top 10. Malaysia Airlines rose from 27th to 21st and won Best Airline Staff in Asia.

The second big global ranking reads Asia differently. AirlineRatings, which publishes in March, put Cathay Pacific second in the world and Singapore Airlines third, with Korean Air fourth and STARLUX fifth. It placed ANA 15th.

Our ranking of the best airlines in the world sets the two lists side by side.

No other region comes close

Even Asia’s sixth-best airline, Korean Air, made the world top 10.

The best airline in Europe for 2026, Turkish Airlines, ranks fifth in the world. The best airlines in the Middle East put two in the world top six, Qatar Airways and Emirates. Asia put four in the top eight.

The awards beyond the full-service list went to Asia too. AirAsia won the World’s Best Low-Cost Airline, and Singapore Airlines’ budget arm Scoot won the long-haul low-cost title.

Some coverage of the awards named Bangkok Airways as Asia’s best airline. That is a different award: Bangkok Airways won the World’s Best Regional Airline and Best Regional Airline in Asia, the category for short-haul carriers.

India’s flag carrier had a good night as well. Air India won Best Airline in India and South Asia and was named the Most Improved Airline in Asia.

What’s coming next from Asia’s top airlines

Singapore Airlines will defend its titles with new seats. On November 6, 2026, it unveiled new first and business class cabins arriving from the second half of 2027, with sliding doors on every business class seat.

They go on 41 retrofitted Airbus A350-900s and on the Boeing 777-9, which is still waiting for certification. Its 12 Airbus A380s keep their 2017 Suites.

That is the cabin it will take into the next round of the best business class airlines rankings. Cathay Pacific, its closest rival, says it has committed about HK$150 billion to fleet, cabins, lounges and digital projects.

Korea’s two biggest airlines become one. Korean Air and Asiana combine on December 17, 2026, after Asiana’s shareholders approved the merger in August, and the Asiana brand disappears into Korean Air.

Singapore Airlines goes into 2027 as Asia’s best airline and the world’s best, a title it last held in 2023. Behind it, five more Asian airlines are waiting in the world top 10.