The 20 best airlines in the world, ranked by passengers

And the Oscar for best airline goes to… The aviation rating company Skytrax announced the winners of its annual 2026 World Airline Awards, known as “the Oscars of the aviation industry,” on Friday.

To determine the winners, Skytrax conducted the world’s largest airline passenger satisfaction survey.

From September 2025 to August 2026, customers from over 100 nationalities completed Skytrax’s questionnaire in eight languages, evaluating airlines on their cleanliness, onboard WiFi, airport services and lounges, and offerings in economy, business, and first class, among other factors.

Out of the more than 325 airlines included in the survey results, Singapore Airlines was named the world’s best in 2026 — the sixth time the airline has won the top spot since the awards began in 1999. “We congratulate Singapore Airlines on this major achievement of being named the World’s Best Airline 2026 which highlights the level of product and service excellence they are providing to customers,” Skytrax CEO Edward Plaisted said in a press release.

Take a look at the 20 best airlines in the world, according to passengers.