The world’s best airlines of 2026 have been named – where did Qantas rank?

Awards season is officially in full swing! From the World’s 50 Best Hotels and the Michelin Keys to the 50 Top Pizza, major rankings are rolling out thick and fast. Now, the aviation industry has just celebrated its biggest night of the year: the 2026 Skytrax World Airline Awards.

Widely known as the “Oscars of the aviation industry,” this annual ranking draws on millions of passenger satisfaction surveys across more than 320 global airlines to crown the best flyers in the sky.

This year, Singapore Airlines was crowned the World’s Best Airline – ending Qatar Airways’ two-year streak. Praised for its “level of product and service excellence,” this marks the Asian airline’s sixth overall win since the awards launched in 1999. To cap it off, Singapore Airlines also took home the World’s Best Economy Class and World’s Best Onboard Catering awards.

Qatar Airways – a nine-time winner of the World’s Best Airline title – followed in second place. While it missed out on the main crown, it took home World’s Best Business Class Airline, World’s Best Business Class Lounge and the inaugural award for the World’s Best Onboard Wi-Fi.

Representing Australia, Qantas just missed out on the top ten, landing in 12th place overall behind Korean Air and EVA Air. However, that’s a two-place jump from last year and a major leap from 24th position in 2024. The Flying Kangaroo also repeated its previous successes by winning two category awards, including the Best Airline in Australia Pacific region and Best Airline Staff Service in Australia Pacific. 

Elsewhere Down Under, Virgin Australia dropped three places to 37th overall – though it took bronze in the World’s Best Regional Airlines category behind Bangkok Airways and Porter Airlines. Meanwhile, Jetstar remained in 88th place globally and retained its crown as the Best Low-Cost Airline in Australia.

You can check out the top 100 carriers in the 2026 Skytrax World Airline Awards here.

The world’s 20 best airlines for 2026

1. Singapore Airlines
2. Qatar Airways
3. Cathay Pacific Airways
4. ANA All Nippon Airways
5. Turkish Airlines
6. Emirates
7. Air France
8. Hainan Airlines
9. Japan Airlines
10. Korean Air
11. EVA Air
12. Qantas Airways
13. STARLUX Airlines
14. Lufthansa
15. Saudia
16. Iberia
17. Air Canada
18. Virgin Atlantic
19. Swiss International Air Lines
20. Thai Airways

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