The Best Airlines in Europe (2026 Ranking)

Turkish Airlines is the best airline in Europe for 2026, according to the Skytrax World Airline Awards announced in London on September 18, 2026. Its chairman says it is the 11th time the airline has taken the title.

Air France came second and Lufthansa third. This page ranks the full top 10 exactly as Skytrax’s “Best Airlines in Europe 2026” list orders them, the one major ranking built for this question.

We also show where each airline sits in Skytrax’s world top 100 and in the 2026 AirlineRatings lists, as of November 2026. That second opinion matters, because it judges several of these airlines very differently.

1. Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines won the Skytrax award for Best Airline in Europe again in 2026, plus Best Airline in Southern Europe. Its chairman, Murat Şeker, said it was the 11th time the airline had been named Europe’s best.

It also ranks fifth in the world on Skytrax, up from sixth, the highest of any European airline. AirlineRatings placed it seventh among full-service airlines worldwide, again the best European result on that list.

The cabin awards explain the lead. Skytrax named it Best Business Class in Europe and Best Economy Class in Europe for 2026, and gave it the world title for business class onboard catering.

Then there is the network. From its hub at Istanbul Airport, Turkish flies to 131 countries, which earned it a Guinness World Record in December 2024 for connecting more countries than any other airline.

2. Air France

Air France is the best airline in Western Europe for 2026 on Skytrax, and second in Europe overall. It climbed one place to seventh in the world.

Its real distinction is first class. Skytrax named La Première the World’s Best First Class for 2026, and Air France also won the world titles for first class lounge dining and first class comfort amenities.

The newest version of La Première launched in 2025 on the Boeing 777-300ER, with its first flight from Paris to New York JFK on April 8, 2025.

It is a rare seat, though: La Première does not fly on the airline’s A330s, A350s or most of its 777s, so read our ranking of the best first class airlines before you plan around it.

AirlineRatings is far cooler on Air France, placing it 19th among full-service airlines. The passenger vote likes it far more than the editorial review does.

3. Lufthansa

Lufthansa is third in Europe and 14th in the world on Skytrax, up one place from 2025. It flies from hubs in Frankfurt and Munich and was one of the five founding members of Star Alliance in 1997.

AirlineRatings ranks it differently but just as highly: it named Lufthansa the World’s Best Hybrid Airline for 2026. It uses “hybrid” for airlines that sell a low-cost style product on short routes alongside a premium long-haul one.

AirlineRatings pointed to buy-on-board catering and a 29 to 30 inch seat pitch on short European flights, against the Allegris business class seat on long-haul. Skytrax, meanwhile, gave Lufthansa world and European awards for first class catering and named it the Most Family Friendly Airline in Europe.

4. Iberia

Iberia is the biggest climber in the European top 10, up four places to 16th in the world on Skytrax. It won Best Airline Staff in Europe and Best Cabin Crew in Southern Europe.

Founded in 1927 and based at Madrid-Barajas, Iberia was the first airline to fly between Europe and South America after World War II, in 1946.

AirlineRatings places it 11th among hybrid airlines. Iberia and British Airways have shared a parent company, International Airlines Group, since 2011, and in 2026 Iberia passed its British sister on Skytrax by seven places.

5. Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic is fifth in Europe and 18th in the world on Skytrax, down two places. It won Best Premium Economy Class in Europe, and its Heathrow lounge won Best Business Class Lounge in Europe.

AirlineRatings ranks it 13th among full-service airlines, and it is also 13th on AirlineRatings’ 2026 safety list. As of July 2026 its fleet was all twin-engine widebodies: the A330-300, A330neo, A350-1000 and Boeing 787-9.

Virgin flies from Heathrow and Manchester to North America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, and Delta Air Lines owns 49% of it. If premium economy is your cabin, see how it compares in our ranking of the best premium economy airlines.

6. SWISS

SWISS is sixth in Europe but fell eight places in the world ranking, from 11th to 19th. It still won Skytrax’s Cleanest Airline in Europe award for 2026.

The Lufthansa Group airline flies from Zurich, with Geneva as its second hub. Its first Airbus A350-900 arrived in Zurich on October 9, 2025, bringing larger screens and Bluetooth headphone pairing to its long-haul fleet.

AirlineRatings ranks SWISS seventh among hybrid airlines. Its 777-300ERs carry a first class cabin of eight private suites.

7. British Airways

British Airways had the worst year of any airline in the European top 10. It dropped ten places on Skytrax, from 13th to 23rd in the world, and it is not on Skytrax’s A to Z list of 2026 award winners.

The slide has a backstory. In 2025 the UK consumer group Which? named BA the worst long-haul airline in its customer survey, and changes to its loyalty program the same year drew a public backlash.

The hard product is better than the scores suggest. BA’s Club Suite business class, launched on the A350 in 2019, has a door on every seat, and AirlineRatings still ranks BA ninth among hybrid airlines.

8. KLM

KLM is eighth in Europe and 24th in the world on Skytrax, down three places. AirlineRatings places it 18th among full-service airlines, one ahead of its sister airline Air France.

Founded in 1919, KLM is the oldest airline still flying under its original name. It operates from Amsterdam Schiphol and belongs to SkyTeam.

Its long-haul product is mid-upgrade. KLM announced in 2022 that it would add a new Premium Comfort cabin and refit its 777s with direct-aisle business seats, and new A350s are set to replace its 777-200ERs and A330s from 2026.

9. Austrian Airlines

Austrian Airlines has the best cabin crew in Europe, according to Skytrax’s 2026 vote, which also named it best in Western Europe for crew. It ranks ninth in Europe and 27th in the world, down four places.

As of September 2026, Austrian runs around 320 daily flights to more than 120 destinations from Vienna. It is part of the Lufthansa Group and Star Alliance, and AirlineRatings places it 18th among hybrid airlines.

10. Finnair

Finnair is the best airline in Northern Europe on Skytrax for 2026, and it also won Best Cabin Crew in Northern Europe. It slipped eight places in the world ranking, from 25th to 33rd.

AirlineRatings likes it more, ranking it eighth among hybrid airlines, ahead of British Airways and Iberia. Founded in 1923, Finnair flies from Helsinki and is a member of oneworld.

Finnair unveiled its current business class seat, built on the Collins AirLounge design, together with its first premium economy cabin in February 2022, and it had taken 18 A350s as of March 2026.

The best airline in each part of Europe

Skytrax also ranks Europe region by region, which surfaces airlines too small for the overall top 10. Turkish Airlines tops Southern Europe, Air France tops Western Europe and Finnair tops Northern Europe.

In Central Europe, LOT Polish Airlines won Best Airline for 2026. airBaltic tops the Eastern Europe list, ahead of Air Serbia, and Greece’s Aegean Airlines was named Best Regional Airline in Europe.

The best low-cost airlines in Europe

Vueling won Skytrax’s Best Low-Cost Airline in Europe for 2026, the first time the Barcelona-based airline has won a World Airline Award. It ranks third in the world among low-cost airlines.

Four more European airlines fill places four to seven on Skytrax’s world low-cost list: Eurowings, Iberia Express, Volotea and Transavia. Ryanair is 64th in the overall world top 100.

AirlineRatings sees it differently again, with airBaltic the best European airline on its low-cost list at fourth, then easyJet eighth and Wizz Air ninth. Our full ranking of the best low-cost airlines covers the rest of the world.

Which European airlines are the safest?

AirlineRatings’ 2026 safety list, published in January, includes seven European full-service airlines in its top 25: Turkish Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, TAP Air Portugal, SAS, British Airways, Iberia and Lufthansa. Its low-cost list includes easyJet, airBaltic, Wizz Air, Vueling, Ryanair and others.

AirlineRatings itself warns against reading too much into the order. Its CEO said that less than four points separated positions one through 14, and that every airline in the top 25 is a world leader in safety. Our ranking of the safest airlines in the world explains how those lists are built.

For how Europe’s best compare with Qatar, Singapore and Cathay Pacific, see our ranking of the best airlines in the world.