The results of both the Skytrax World Airport Awards and AirlineRatings.com’s World’s Best Airline Awards are out now, and Asia has once again come out on top.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Singapore Changi Airport has been named the Airport of the Year 2026, the 14th time it has received the accolade overall.
Meanwhile, Qatar Airways has just been named the World’s Best Full-Service Airline, taking the top spot from Korean Air which won in 2025.
Doha’s Hamad International Airport was noticeably absent on Skytrax’s airport ranking, having come second overall in 2025. This is because the airport announced earlier this week that it was pulling out of all external exhibitions, conferences, industry events and awards programmes in light of the current situation in the Middle East and Gulf.
The top five airports in the world are all located in Asia, with Incheon International Airport in second place, Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) in third, Hong Kong International Airport in fourth, and Narita International Airport in fifth.
Asia similarly dominated the airline rankings, with second place going to Cathay Pacific, third to Singapore Airlines, fourth to Korean Air and fifth to STARLUX Airlines.
The best airports in Europe
The highest ranked airport in Europe was Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, coming out sixth overall. This is the fourth year in a row that it has topped the ranking within Europe.
A flurry of European airports followed, with Rome Fiumicino Airport ranked seventh, Istanbul Airport ranked eighth, and Munich Airport ranked ninth.
Other European airports in the top 20 include Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (11th), Vienna International Airport (15th), London Heathrow Airport (16th), Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (17th) and Zürich Airport (19th).
Budapest Airport was given the Best Airport in Eastern Europe title, while London Heathrow was given a gong for the World’s Best Airport Shopping.
The best airlines in Europe
As for airlines, the highest ranked full-service European carrier was Turkish Airlines, coming out seventh overall.
Next up was Virgin Atlantic, which was ranked 13th, followed by KLM in 18th, Air France in 19th, and LOT Polish Airlines, which was 25th best.
AirlineRatings.com also has a separate ranking for low-cost and hybrid airlines, the latter referring to those that offer low-cost or full-service depending on the length of flight.
Among the low-cost carriers, AirBaltic was the highest ranked among the European outfits mentioned, in fourth place overall.
Next best among the low-cost carriers in Europe was easyJet in eighth, closely followed by Wizz Air in ninth. Ryanair came out 11th, followed by Jet2 in 12th and TUI Group in 13th. Norwegian ranked 16th, with Vueling in 19th place.
The top ranked hybrid airline this year was Lufthansa.
“Lufthansa epitomises what we look for in the world’s best hybrid airline,” AirlineRatings.com CEO Sharon Petersen said.
“It offers a low-cost model on short-haul routes across Europe with buy-on-board catering, a variable seat pitch of 29 to 30 inches, complimentary streaming of in-flight entertainment via its FlyNet Wi-Fi portal, alongside bottled water and the airline’s iconic branded chocolate.
“The airline’s medium and long-haul aircraft deliver a comfortable, full-service product in economy and a luxury experience in business class, especially when travelling on the award-winning Allegris seat.
“Combined with efficient and easy connections through major hubs such as Munich and Frankfurt, Lufthansa is a clear leader in the hybrid category.”
Other highly ranked European hybrid airlines include SWISS (seventh), Finnair (eighth), British Airways (ninth), TAP Portugal (10th), Iberia (11th), Air Europa (15th), SAS (16th), Austrian Airlines (18th) and ITA Airways (20th).
Read the full article here
