Aviation Business News' Best Places To Work In Aviation 2026 winners revealed

Aviation Business News is proud to announce the 2026 winners of its Best Places To Work In Aviation winners awards that honour companies employees love working for.

Now in its third year Best Places To Work In Aviation was launched to raise the profile of firms that go the extra mile in staff welfare, training, and retention.

The accolade is especially important given the current market environment in which aviation firms faces a huge shortfall in the number of technicians, pilots, and crew.

The winners of this award consistently demonstrate a commitment to making their people’s working lives rewarding, challenging, and fun.

Aviation Business News partners with US-based Workforce Research Group which carries out an employee and employer survey which determines the winners.

This independent analysis of employee feedback means the Best Places accolade is 100% credible and sets a benchmark for all employers in aviation to aspire to.

This year’s winners include three new Best Places and four previous winners including FDH Aero which retains it top spot as the most highly rated. 

The 2026 ABN Best Places To Work In Aviation Winners

Responding to the news that FDH Aero retained its number one position, Matt Lacki, president of FDH Hardware, said: "Receiving this recognition for the third year in a row and keeping the highest ranking means a lot to our team. As FDH Aero grows, we remain focused on listening to our people, supporting them and giving them opportunities to grow."

Lee Hayhurst, chief operating offer of Aviation Business News, said: “Aviation faces a generational challenge to attract the sort of talent it needs to thrive in a modern competitive business landscape, particularly when it comes to specialist technical talent.

“Individually, we know companies across the globe are doing great things to recruit and retain the people the industry needs, but aviation needs to collaboratively shout louder about the exciting and rewarding careers it offer. At ABN we’re delighted to do our bit with Best Places. Congratulations to this year’s winners. Truly well deserved.”

Paul Sandström, chief operating officer and managing director of Web Manuals, another of our repeat winners, said: "We are truly honoured to be recognised as not only a great place to work, but the Best Place to Work in Aviation for the second year in a row. 

“This achievement would not be possible without our talented and dedicated people, who make our company what it is every single day. We are immensely grateful to have such an amazing team. And, of course, to our customers, whose trust and partnership inspire us and remind us why we do what we do.

“We are already exploring the best ways to celebrate this fantastic achievement as soon as possible."

What the 2026 Best Places To Work In Aviation winners had to say

FDH Aero

At FDH Aero, we believe a great workplace isn’t defined by perks alone — it’s built by people who feel heard, supported, challenged, and connected. 

Across our global organisation, we invest in the whole employee experience, from professional development, mentorship, and leadership programs to wellness resources, flexible work practices, and meaningful recognition. 

We’re also creating more ways for employees to connect directly with leadership through company-wide town halls, video updates, open Q&As, and ongoing employee listening. 

Our people are encouraged to grow their careers, collaborate across teams and borders, and make an impact in an industry that connects the world. 

What makes FDH Aero a great place to work isn’t any one programme, it’s our commitment to our people and to continually build a better workplace together.

JEH Aero

JEH Aerospace lives by 'Excellerate', our flagship people program, which promises to accelerate careers as we accelerate aerospace manufacturing. 

We invest in employee experience to attract the best talent in Indian aviation, backed by real career runways: structured learning paths, cross-functional rotations, and direct mentorship from CXOs that turn early-career engineers into future leaders. 

Employees stay because growth here is visible and earned through our 4P Model – Promotion, Progression, Priority Reviews and PIP. It ties work anniversaries to compensation revisions. 

Dignity is non-negotiable: every employee, from shop floor to CXO, eats the same food, wears the same uniform, and gets equal medical coverage extending to parents and in-laws. 

Add India-leading inclusive leave policies, ESOPs for top performers, and a genuine 'Happiness Policy' celebrating weddings and childbirth, and you get a workplace where people don't just work - they belong, grow, and stay.

KDC Projects

At KDC Projects, our people are at the heart of everything we do – reflected in our tagline: Engineering. People.

KDC is a place where people can build long-term engineering careers, supported by flexible and hybrid working, personalised training, mentoring, graduate development and opportunities to progress. 

Benefits include a cash health plan, EV car scheme, Cycle to Work scheme, holiday purchase and a generous training budget. Culture matters just as much. 

We run quarterly socials, charity challenges and employee surveys, while giving people opportunities to attend industry events. 

Many friendships formed here extend beyond work, with colleagues becoming genuine friends outside the office. That focus on people is reflected in our retention. 

Some employees have been with KDC for more than 20 years, while our alumni network keeps former colleagues connected – with several returning to KDC. 

We combine major aerospace and defence programmes with a supportive, close-knit culture.

EirTrade Aviation 

EirTrade is a parts supplier that has grown significantly in recent years. Our success is due to our people and our culture fosters teamwork and a supportive environment where everyone is accepted for who they are.

Dynamic growth strategies, recruiting the right people to turn our vision into reality, and increased financial capacity to purchase aviation assets - EirTrade has the expertise and the capability to underpin our customers’ operations and support their business ambitions. 

Every single member of the team at EirTrade Aviation is involved with ensuring that the Company works to the highest levels of efficiency and professionalism and we take great care to ensure that everyone is mentored and supported in their role. 

The more experienced managers are wholly engaged with our philosophy of training ‘on the job’ and share their knowledge and expertise to build technical and commercial wisdom.

As we grow as a business and increase our market share, we also broaden our capabilities.  This opens exciting opportunities for our team making EirTrade Aviation not only a great place to work, but also a great place to build a career.

APACS

APACS is more than a workplace it is a community where people are empowered to grow, contribute and succeed together. 

As a leading aircraft component services provider, we foster a culture built on teamwork, trust, safety and continuous improvement. 

Our employees value opportunities to develop their skills, take on new challenges and make a meaningful contribution to the aviation industry. 

We invest in learning and career development while creating meaningful employee engagement programmes that bring our people together and recognise their contributions. 

From employee recognition initiatives to wellness, bonding and community programmes, we strive to create an environment where everyone feels valued and connected. 

Our focus on open communication, strong leadership and a supportive workplace culture has helped us build lasting employee relationships and high levels of engagement. 

At APACS, we believe our people are our greatest strength and when our people thrive, our organisation thrives

Aviation Network Group

We are proud to be a great place to work because we put our people at the heart of everything we do.

We foster an inclusive, supportive and collaborative culture where employees feel valued, trusted and empowered to make a difference. 

We invest in learning and development, recognise achievements and provide opportunities for people to grow their careers. 

Our benefits are designed to support employees both professionally and personally, promoting wellbeing and a healthy work-life balance. 

We maintain and strive to elevate engagement by listening to our people, acting on feedback and celebrating success together. 

Our focus on open communication, flexibility, recognition and career development helps us build a motivated, loyal workforce where people genuinely enjoy coming to work and can thrive.

Web Manuals

Web Manuals is building a global community united by one mission, making aviation smarter, safer, and more connected. 

In early 2026 we opened our sixth office, bringing us even closer to the customers, partners, and colleagues we work with worldwide. 

With six offices across multiple continents and around 30 nationalities on our team, diversity isn't something we talk about, it's how we work. 

People join us to help shape the future of an industry and they stay because they're trusted to drive their own ideas and build a career that's genuinely theirs. 

We invest in that through the Next Generation Leadership Program, ongoing development for leaders and employees, biannual kick-offs, and a real commitment to work-life balance and wellness. 

The result is a culture built on international collaboration and belonging. When people feel safe to speak up, innovation prosper.