Results were based on passenger satisfaction surveys completed by travellers of more than 100 nationalities for air transport rating organisation Skytrax.
SunExpress, the joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, was named Europe’s Best Leisure Airline, its third win in the category following titles in 2023 and 2024.
The global World’s Best Leisure Airline title in 2026 went to the Canadian carrier Air Transat.
Flynas was named Best Low‑Cost Airline in the Middle East for the ninth consecutive year, while Allegiant Air retained Best Low‑Cost Airline in North America for the third consecutive year.
FlySafair won Best Low‑Cost Airline in Africa and JetSMART secured Best Low‑Cost Airline in South America.
Scoot, the Singapore Airlines subsidiary, was named World’s Best Long Haul Low‑Cost Airline for the sixth straight year.
Air Astana Group won across both its full‑service and low‑cost operations in Central Asia and the CIS. Flag carrier Air Astana was named Best Airline in Central Asia and CIS for the 15th consecutive year and won Best Airline Staff Service in the region for the 10th time. Its low‑cost subsidiary FlyArystan took Best Low‑Cost Airline in Central Asia and CIS for the fourth consecutive year.
The top 10 low‑cost airlines globally in the 2026 Skytrax awards were:
- AirAsia
- Scoot
- Vueling Airlines
- Eurowings
- Iberia Express
- Volotea
- Transavia
- Flynas
- IndiGo
- Allegiant Air
In the regional airline division, Bangkok Airways retained the title of World’s Best Regional Airline and also won Best Regional Airline in Asia. Porter Airlines, Virgin Australia, Aegean Airlines, Azerbaijan Airlines and Hong Kong Airlines placed among the top global finishers.
