The Best Airlines in the World (2026 Ranking)

Singapore Airlines is the world’s best airline for 2026, according to the Skytrax World Airline Awards announced in London on September 18, 2026. It took the title back from Qatar Airways, which had won in 2025.

But Skytrax is only one of the two big global rankings, and the other one disagrees. AirlineRatings.com put Qatar Airways first for 2026 and Singapore third. Average the two lists and Qatar comes out narrowly on top, with Singapore and Cathay Pacific close behind.

That is how this page ranks them: by each airline’s average position across both 2026 lists, as of September 2026. The table below shows both source ranks, so you can see exactly where the two agree and where they split.

1. Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways is the only airline ranked in the top two by both lists. AirlineRatings named it the world’s best airline for 2026, and Skytrax placed it second, one year after naming it number one.

Its record is what separates it from the field. Skytrax says Qatar has won the World’s Best Airline title nine times in the past 15 years, and in 2026 it won World’s Best Business Class for the thirteenth time.

That business class is the Qsuite, launched in 2017. Every seat has full-length doors, the center pairs convert into a double bed, and four seats can open up into a private group space around a table. It flies on every one of Qatar’s Airbus A350-1000 jets and on most of its Boeing 777s.

Why first over Singapore? Qatar trails it by one place on Skytrax, while Singapore trails Qatar by two on AirlineRatings. If you fly business class, it is the better pick; in economy, the edge goes to number two.

2. Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines is the reigning Skytrax World’s Best Airline, the sixth time it has won the award. AirlineRatings had it third for 2026.

Where it wins outright is the back of the plane. Skytrax named it World’s Best Economy Class and World’s Best Economy Class Onboard Catering for 2026, ahead of Cathay Pacific and Qatar.

It is also the most consistent all-rounder in the survey. Singapore finished second in four other Skytrax categories: cabin crew, first class, business class, and cleanest airline.

3. Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific is the most underrated name at the top. It placed third with Skytrax and second with AirlineRatings, which puts it within one place of the leaders on both lists.

Skytrax voters named its crew the World’s Best Cabin Crew for 2026. Cathay also finished in the top five for first class, business class, premium economy, economy, and cleanliness. Only Singapore matched that spread.

It is also the safest of the top three. AirlineRatings ranked Cathay second on its separate 2026 safety list, behind Etihad, with Qatar fourth and Singapore seventh.

4. Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines is the best airline in Europe. Skytrax gave it that title for the eleventh time in 2026 and ranked it fifth in the world, up from sixth in 2025. AirlineRatings placed it seventh.

Its real advantage is reach. As of September 2026, Turkish flies to 303 international destinations in 132 countries from its Istanbul hub, plus 53 domestic ones. Few airlines can get you to as many places on a single ticket.

5. Emirates

Emirates is still the brand most people picture when they think of a luxury airline, but in 2026 it is one of the big names sliding. Skytrax dropped it from fourth to sixth, and AirlineRatings ranked it eighth.

The cabins remain strong. Skytrax ranked Emirates second in the world for premium economy and fourth for first class, and AirlineRatings rated it the fifth safest airline for 2026.

6. Korean Air

Korean Air ties Emirates on average but gets there in the opposite way. AirlineRatings ranked it fourth in the world, while Skytrax voters put it tenth, down from seventh in 2025.

That split is the clearest example of what each list measures. An editorial product review likes Korean Air’s cabins more than the passenger vote does. It also made the AirlineRatings safest top 10 for 2026, in tenth place.

7. Japan Airlines

Japan Airlines is the steadiest entry on the list. It held ninth place with Skytrax for a second year running and ranked sixth with AirlineRatings.

That puts it just behind Korean Air on average. It is one of two Japanese airlines in this top 10, along with ANA.

8. STARLUX Airlines

STARLUX is the surprise of 2026. The Taiwanese airline was founded in May 2018 and flew its first flight in January 2020, with founder Chang Kuo-wei at the controls himself.

Six years later, AirlineRatings ranked it fifth in the world. Skytrax moved it from 18th to 13th and named it the World’s Cleanest Airline for 2026.

It flies an all-Airbus fleet from Taipei’s Taoyuan airport: A321neos for regional routes and A330-900s, A350-900s, and A350-1000s for long haul. On this trajectory, it is the airline most likely to climb this list next year.

9. ANA All Nippon Airways

ANA is where the two rankings disagree most. Skytrax voters put it fourth in the world, up from fifth, while AirlineRatings placed it 15th.

Passengers clearly like it. ANA finished in the Skytrax top five for cabin crew, business class, economy, and cleanliness. The 11-place gap on the other list is why it sits ninth here and not fourth.

10. Hainan Airlines

Hainan Airlines is the only mainland Chinese airline in either top 10. Skytrax ranked it eighth, up from tenth, and AirlineRatings put it 14th.

Its service scores carry it. Skytrax voters ranked Hainan fourth in the world for cabin crew and cleanliness, and fifth for business class.

11. EVA Air

EVA Air ties Hainan on average and would rank higher on a third list. Travel + Leisure readers voted it the best international airline in the magazine’s 2026 World’s Best Awards, a survey of more than 207,000 readers.

Both big rankings put it 11th. Skytrax named EVA the World’s Best Premium Economy for 2026, which makes it the smartest choice on this list for travelers who want more space without paying for business class.

12. Qantas

Qantas rounds out the list at 12th on both rankings, up two places with Skytrax from 2025. It is the only airline from the Southern Hemisphere in this top 12.

It also scores well where the passenger rankings do not look. AirlineRatings named Qantas the third safest airline in the world for 2026, behind only Etihad and Cathay Pacific.

Just outside the top 12

Air France has the best first class in the world, according to Skytrax, and ranked seventh overall on that list. AirlineRatings placed it 19th, which drops its average to 13.

Virgin Atlantic (18th and 13th) and Etihad (22nd and 10th) come next. Etihad is the most striking near miss, because AirlineRatings also named it the safest airline in the world for 2026.

Lufthansa ranked 14th with Skytrax but was not scored in the AirlineRatings full-service list, which named it the Best Hybrid Airline instead. Air New Zealand made the AirlineRatings top 10 at ninth but fell to 32nd with Skytrax.

That does not make US airlines bad for domestic travel, where the choice is different and these global lists barely apply. We rank them separately in the best airlines to fly in the US, using US-specific data.

Why the biggest airlines are never the best

By most measures, the world’s largest airlines are American, Delta and United, and none of them makes the top 20 of either ranking. Size and quality are almost unrelated in this industry.

The top airlines share a different profile. Most of the top 12 are built around one major hub, with long-haul international flying at the core of the business. On those flights, cabins, crews and catering decide which airline a passenger picks.

That is also why the best airlines win on premium cabins. If you are comparing what you get in the front of the plane, our guide to first class vs business class explains what each cabin actually buys you.

Skytrax vs AirlineRatings: which ranking to trust

Neither list is wrong, because they measure different things. Skytrax asks passengers to rate their own flights across more than 50 categories, so it rewards how an airline feels to fly. AirlineRatings reviews the onboard product itself, so it rewards what the airline offers.

Skytrax says airlines pay nothing to be included, there is no sponsorship, and respondents are not paid. AirlineRatings says its awards are based on measurable criteria rather than public opinion or voting.

Our view: when both lists put an airline near the top, trust it. When they disagree by more than 10 places, as with ANA, the truth is somewhere in the middle, which is exactly what an average captures.

Neither list scores safety. For that, see our ranking of the safest airlines in the world, which covers each airline’s real accident record.