Qatar Airways named best airline in the world at the ‘Oscars of Aviation’ for the sixth year running, with BA coming 11th and Delta top in America (but only 30th overall)

Qatar Airways has got being the world’s best airline down to a fine art.

Yet again – for the sixth year in a row – it has been named the No.1 carrier on the planet out of 350 airlines at the ‘Oscars of Aviation’, the Skytrax World Airline Awards 2021.

In second place is Singapore Airlines, with British Airways 11th worldwide, up from No.19 in 2019 and No.31 in 2018. The top carrier in America is named as Delta Air Lines (30th worldwide), with Qantas top in Australia/Pacific (eighth worldwide).

Qatar Airways has been named as the No.1 carrier on the planet out of 350 airlines at the ‘Oscars of Aviation’. Above is a first-class cabin on one of the carrier’s A380s

Groaning trophy cabinet: Qatar Airways scoops the gong for World’s Best Business Class (pictured above)

Edward Plaisted of Skytrax commented that for Qatar Airways to win for the sixth time in a row is a ‘remarkable achievement’.

What’s more, the airline adds the following gongs from this year’s awards to its groaning trophy cabinet – World’s Best Business Class, World’s Best Business Class Seat, World’s Best Business Class Airline Lounge and Best Business Class Onboard Catering.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr Akbar Al Baker, said: ‘This award is the result of the incredible work by the Qatar Airways team and I want to thank our valued passengers for their loyalty and appreciation for all we have offered during the most challenging and uncertain times, without compromising on the service and excellence that the airline is renowned for throughout the world.

SKYTRAX GLOBAL AWARD-WINNERS FOR 2021

The World’s Top 40 Airlines of 2021  

1. Qatar Airways

2. Singapore Airlines

3. ANA All Nippon Airways

4. Emirates

5. Japan Airlines

6. Cathay Pacific

7. EVA Air

8. Qantas Airways

9. Hainan Airlines

10. Air France

11. British Airways

12. China Southern

13. Lufthansa

14. Aeroflot Russian Airlines

15. Garuda Indonesia

16. KLM

17. Turkish Airlines

18. Swiss Int’l Air Lines

19. Bangkok Airways

20. Air New Zealand

21. Etihad Airways

22. Korean Air

23. Thai Airways

24. Virgin Atlantic

25. Asiana Airlines

26. Saudi Arabian Airlines

27. Austrian

28. Vistara

29. AirAsia

30. Delta Air Lines

31. Finnair

32. jetBlue Airways

33. Air Canada

34. Virgin Australia

35. Iberia

36. Aegean Airlines

37. Ethiopian Airlines 

38. China Airlines

39. Southwest Airlines

40. Scoot

World’s Best Cabin Crew 2021

1. Singapore Airlines

2. ANA All Nippon Airways

3. Thai Airways

4. Garuda Indonesia

5. Japan Airlines

6. Hainan Airlines

7. EVA Air

8. Asiana Airlines

9. Cathay Pacific Airways

10. Qatar Airways

World’s Best Low-Cost Airlines 2021

1. AirAsia

2. Southwest Airlines

3. Scoot

4. Vueling Airlines

5. IndiGo

6. EasyJet

7. Jetstar Airways

8. Ryanair

9. Jetstar Asia

10. Flynas

The World’s Cleanest Airlines 2021

1. ANA All Nippon Airways

2. Singapore Airlines

3. Japan Airlines

4. Qatar Airways

5. EVA Air

6. Cathay Pacific Airways

7. Asiana Airlines

8. Korean Air

9. Hainan Airlines

10. Swiss International Air Lines

Source: Skytrax 

 

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British Airways is 11th worldwide, up from No.19 in 2019 and No.31 in 2018. Pictured above is a first-class BA Dreamliner cabin

In second place is Singapore Airlines, which is also honoured with awards for the World’s Best First Class and the World’s Best First Class Seat. Pictured above is one of the airline’s ‘suite class’ seats

‘We never abandoned our loyal customers when they needed us the most. We continued flying to get people home and implemented stringent biosafety measures to provide strong reassurance for travellers, all while continuing to innovate to ensure we remain the airline of choice for millions of passengers across the globe.’

Other noteworthy successes at this year’s airline awards include easyJet scooping Best Low-Cost Airline in the UK (sixth worldwide, ahead of Ryanair in eighth); ANA All Nippon Airways claiming the top prize in the World’s Cleanest Airlines of 2021 category and Singapore Airlines receiving the gold medal for World’s Best Cabin Crew.

Singapore Airlines is also honoured with awards for the World’s Best First Class and the World’s Best First Class Seat.

Qantas is top in Australia/Pacific and eighth worldwide. Pictured above is a Qantas A380 taxiing at Sydney Airport

Delta Airlines is 30th worldwide in the 2021 Skytrax awards – and named as the No.1 airline in America

Air Canada wins Best Airline Staff in North America, Air France is named Best Airline in Europe and BA also gets the Best Premium Economy Onboard Catering award and wins the Best Airline Staff in Europe category.

The winners of the Skytrax World Airline Awards are decided by a huge passenger satisfaction survey. This year over 100 customer nationalities participated in it, with the 2021 Awards based on 13.42million eligible survey entries (88 per cent of these were registered up to March 2020).

The online survey operated from September 2019 to July 2021.

For more information visit www.worldairlineawards.com.