(Posted 17th June 2025)
Qatar Airways takes the global honours for a record 9th time
The 2025 World Airline Awards have been announced in a gala ceremony held today, the 17th June 2025 at Paris Air Show, in the Air and Space Museum at the fabulous art deco Hall of Eight Columns of Le Bourget airport. Some 500 guests attended from airlines across the world, with a large number of airline Chairman, CEO’s and Presidents accepting their awards. As is now customary at the World Airline Awards, there were a lot of uniformed airline crew proudly displaying the airline corporate brands on the stage and around the event.
Widely known as ‘the Oscars of the aviation industry’ the World Airline Awards began in 1999, and remain totally independent and impartial with all of the customer survey costs and awards event hosted by and paid for by the organisers, Skytrax.
Edward Plaisted, CEO of Skytrax said: “We welcomed back a large number of previous winners and were also delighted to see new faces and airlines represented here today. As is indicated by so many former winning airlines being awarded again, quality consistency is clearly well recognised by customers when they vote for these airlines.”
Commenting on their success, Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, Qatar Airways Group CEO, said:
“Being named the World’s Best Airline for the ninth time is an extraordinary honor. This recognition is far more than an award, it is a celebration of the passion, precision and purpose that defines who we are as an airline. To retain this title in a highly competitive and ever-evolving global industry reflects the relentless efforts across every part of the business, from the frontline to behind the scenes, the passion and commitment of our people continue to set new standards in aviation. We are equally proud to have been named the Best Airline in the Middle East, to once again hold the title of the World’s Best Business Class, and to be recognized for offering the Best Business Class Airline Lounge experience globally. These accolades reaffirm our ambition not only to lead, but to redefine what exceptional service means in aviation. Whether on the ground or in the air, we strive to deliver a seamless, elevated journey that anticipates the needs of our passengers and reflects the highest standards of quality, comfort, and innovation. Being continuously recognized as a 5-Star Airline further underscores our mission: to set new benchmarks for the industry and to ensure that our passengers feel genuinely cared for, valued and inspired to return. These awards are not just wins for us, they are a tribute to the trust of millions of travellers who choose us every year and a clear validation of our vision to shape the future of air travel”.
The five times winner of the prestigious Airline of the Year award, Singapore Airlines ranks No 2 in the world for 2025, with Cathay Pacific Airways moving up to third place. Emirates is ranked No 4 with ANA All Nippon Airways in fifth position, out of more than 325 airlines included in the survey results.
THE WORLD TOP 20 AIRLINES IN 2025
- Qatar Airways
- Singapore Airlines
- Cathay Pacific
- Emirates
- ANA All Nippon Airways
- Turkish Airlines
- Korean Air
- Air France
- Japan Airlines
- Hainan Airlines
- Swiss Int’l Air Lines
- EVA Air
- British Airways
- Qantas Airways
- Lufthansa
- Virgin Atlantic
- Saudi Arabian Airlines
- STARLUX Airlines
- Air Canada
- Iberia
Edward Plaisted of Skytrax said: “It is a fabulous achievement for Qatar Airways to win the World’s Best Airline title for 2025, the ninth time they have triumphed in the awards history. Qatar Airways achieved excellent results across many award categories, with their Business Class winning the World’s Best Business Class, and their Al Mourjan Garden Lounge named the World’s Best Business Class Airline Lounge. We congratulate Qatar Airways on these successes which should be a source of great pride and satisfaction for the airline management and staff.”
Singapore Airlines took top honours with the award for the World’s Best Cabin Crew and their First Class Suites continue to dominate by winning the award as the World’s Best First Class. In one of the most competitive global regions for airline service standards, Singapore Airlines also scooped the accolade for the Best Airline in Asia.
Taiwanese airline, STARLUX Airlines, won the 2025 award as the World’s Most Improved Airline, reflecting their Quality improvement across the entire Awards programme. At the start of the awards event in Paris, STARLUX Airlines also received their 5-Star Airline Rating for the first time, bringing the number of 5-Star Airlines worldwide to eleven.
Commenting on this achievement, STARLUX Airlines CEO, Glenn Chai, who accepted the awards in Paris, said: “Receiving the 5-Star Airline award is an honor and a tremendous encouragement for everyone at STARLUX. We launched operations in 2020, so reaching this milestone highlights our team’s resilience and passion. We are thrilled and deeply grateful for our passengers’ trust and the dedication of our team. STARLUX will continue expanding our network and raise the bar on safety and service, offering travelers around the world a warm and refined service in the sky.”
AirAsia was the repeat winner of the World’s Best Low-Cost Airline award, a title it has won each year since 2010. Scoot received a top award as the World’s Best Long Haul Low-Cost Airline.
Tony Fernandes CEO of Capital A and co-founder of AirAsia said: “To win the World’s Best Low-Cost Airline Award for 16 years in a row is nothing short of incredible. From flying just 200,000 guests in our first year to aiming to welcome our one billionth guest this year – this journey has been made possible by the unwavering support of our guests, and the tireless dedication of our incredible Allstars. We thank the Skytrax team for recognising our work, and I would like to share the award with my Allstars, it belongs to them. Thank you for believing in the dream.”
Air Transat were named the World’s Best Leisure Airline, with 2025 being the third consecutive year the Canadian airline has triumphed. “Receiving this award for the seventh time and third year in a row is an honour for everyone at Air Transat,” said Pamela Lloyd-Bergeron, Air Transat Director In-Flight Service. “It reflects our dedication to delivering excellent service and memorable journeys for our passengers.” Annick Guérard, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Transat, added: “This recognition is a testament to the hard work and resilience of our teams. Their commitment to providing outstanding service is the reason behind our success.”
ANA All Nippon Airways achieves the No 4 global ranking, repeating earlier success by winning the award for the World’s Best Airport Services. ANA also won the award for the Best Airline Staff Service in Asia.
German low-cost airline Eurowings triumphed for the first time at the World Airline Awards receiving the award as the Best Low-Cost Airline in Europe, a great achievement for such a competitive low-cost airline market. Allegiant Air was named the Best Low-Cost Airline in North America.
JetSMART was named the Best Low-Cost Airline in South America. “For all of us at JetSMART, receiving the World Airline Award as the Best Low-Cost Airline in South America for the third time is an incredible honor. This recognition is a tribute to the passion and commitment of all our JetSMART Rockstars, who work hard every day and on every flight to deliver a consistently on-time, reliable service aboard our modern Airbus A320 and A321 fleet — always with a friendly, Latin spirit. We have already connected nearly 40 million people across South America, and we thank each and every one of them for trusting us. As the leading ultra-low-cost carrier in the region, this is just the beginning,” said Estuardo Ortiz CEO & Founder of JetSMART Airlines.
The award for the World’s Most Family Friendly Airline was won by Lufthansa, covering features such as family seating policies, family check-in facilities, priority boarding, children’s meals, children’s amenities / toys / activity packs, child specific onboard entertainment, child luggage and policies for carrycot / pushchairs, and service assistance from ground staff and cabin crew.
Plaza Premium received the award as the World’s Best Independent Airport Lounge operator, with the Plaza Premium Lounge at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport ranking No 1 in 2025.
Cathay Pacific received the award for the World’s Best Inflight Entertainment, ahead of Emirates in 2nd and Qatar Airways in 3rd place.
Saudia was a winner of the Best Airline Staff Service in the Middle East award. H.E. Engr. Ibrahim Al-Omar, Director General of Saudia Group said: “This award reflects the dedication of our incredible frontline team and the trust of our guests. While we celebrate this milestone, our journey continues—with bold investments and a clear vision to become one of the world’s leading airlines.”
The Regional Airline Awards are for airlines that primarily operate domestic and / or International flights up to approx. 6 hours, with the World’s Best Regional Airline for the ninth consecutive year being won the Bangkok Airways, a true customer favourite.
In the India / South Asia region, it is low-cost airline IndiGo that received the top award as the Best Airline in India / South Asia together with picking up the Best Low-Cost Airline award for this region.
Qantas Airways returned to the World Airline Awards being named the Best Airline in Australia / Pacific, with Virgin Australia winning the award for the Best Airline Staff Service in Australia / Pacific, and Best Regional Airline award for this region.
Qantas Group CEO, Vanessa Hudson said: “To be recognised as the Best Airline Australia & Pacific reflects our ongoing commitment to delivering for our customers and is testament to the exceptional work of our people. I want to sincerely thank our incredible team of more than 29,000 people around the world, who bring such passion and pride to the work they do every single day. This award belongs to them.”
In North America, Air Canada topped the awards as the Best Airline in North America, with Air Canada’s Toronto Pearson Signature Suite also winning the Best Business Class Lounge Dining award.
Delta Air Lines received the award for the Best Airline Staff Service in North America. “This recognition is a tribute to the Delta people who bring their best to every customer on every one of our 5,000 daily flights,” said Ralph Albus, Delta’s Director of Global Communications. “We’re honored that 200 million customers choose Delta each year, and trust us to be part of their journey. Skytrax is the gold standard in airline rankings, which makes this award especially meaningful.”
In Africa, Ethiopian Airlines won the Best Airline in Africa award for the seventh consecutive year, and FlySafair winning the Best Low-Cost Airline in Africa award.
Turkish Airlines was named the Best Airline in Europe, as well as winning the award for World’s Best Business Class Onboard Catering and as the Best Airline in Southern Europe.
China’s Hainan Airlines won awards as the Best Airline in China, the Best Airline Staff Service in China and for the World’s Best Business Class Comfort Amenities .
Zhu Tao, Chairman of Hainan Airlines said: “We are truly honored to be recognized as a Five-Star Airline for the 14th consecutive year. This award reflects the dedication of our entire team, who live out our ‘Five Heart’ service principle—Heart of Original Aspiration, Heart of Craftsmanship, Heart of Assurance, Heart of Sincerity, Heart of Care. As we look to the future, we will continue to integrate the essence of oriental culture with modern innovation, deepening our international interpretation of end-to-end service model to create exceptional travel experiences for global passengers under the philosophy of ‘Fly Your Dreams’.”
Air France was a multiple winner as the Best Airline in Western Europe, the World’s Best First Class Comfort Amenities and its Paris CDG Terminal 2 Lounge winning the World’s Best First Class Lounge Dining award.
Star Alliance collected the award as the World’s Best Airline Alliance and also won the Best Airline Alliance Lounge award for its Paris CDG Airport Lounge at Terminal 1.
