Singapore Airlines has taken the top spot at the 2026 World Airlines Awards, the passenger-voted honours run by London-based aviation rating organisation Skytrax and often nicknamed the Oscars of the aviation industry. The carrier beat more than 300 airlines to first place, reclaiming bragging rights from Qatar Airways, which won last year and now sits second. Cathay Pacific came third, Japan's ANA fourth and Turkish Airlines fifth.

The rankings are based on what Skytrax describes as the largest airline passenger satisfaction survey in the world, so the list reflects how actual flyers rate airlines rather than expert opinion. Singapore Airlines' chief executive Goh Choon Phong credited the win to the airline's staff and its long-standing service standards.

The wider top 20 leans heavily east: twelve of the entries are Asian carriers when you count Turkish Airlines, including Emirates in sixth, Hainan Airlines eighth, Japan Airlines ninth and Korean Air tenth. Europe managed five slots — Air France (seventh), Lufthansa (fourteenth), Iberia (sixteenth), Swiss International Air Lines (nineteenth) and Virgin Atlantic (eighteenth), the sole UK representative. Virgin Atlantic flies from Edinburgh, Heathrow and Manchester to 32 destinations across five continents, which makes it an easy way for British travellers to sample an award-ranked airline without long-haul positioning flights.

The category winners are worth a look too if you're booking a big trip. Cathay Pacific picked up World's Best Cabin Crew, Taiwan's Starlux Airlines — fourteenth overall rising star — was named World's Cleanest Airline, AirAsia took World's Best Low-Cost Airline and Air France won World's Best First Class. For budget hops closer to home, Spanish low-cost carrier Vueling was rated Europe's best low-cost airline.

Why should this matter when you're booking? If two fares are similar, these results are a decent tiebreaker based on thousands of passenger reviews covering cabin comfort, service, food and cleanliness. They also flag carriers you might not otherwise consider — Starlux, for instance, is a newer Taiwanese airline that many Europe-based travellers have yet to fly. Full category results are on Skytrax's website, and it's worth checking whether your preferred route is served by any of the top 20 before you lock in a booking.

Story via The Independent Travel.