Canadian carriers picked up several major honours at the 2026 World Airline Awards, with Air Canada, Air Transat and Porter Airlines all taking home category wins.
Credit: Air Transat
The awards were announced on September 18 at the Langham Hotel in London. Skytrax, which organizes the annual awards, says the results are based on passenger survey responses, with more than 300 airlines included in the 2026 results.
For Canada, one of the biggest wins went to Air Transat, which was named the World’s Best Leisure Airline. The Montreal-based carrier also received the title of Best Leisure Airline in North America.
It was Air Transat’s eighth time winning the global leisure airline award.
Air Transat President and CEO Annick Guérard called the recognition “a tremendous source of pride,” while crediting the airline’s teams for the achievement.
Air Canada also collected several awards, including Best Airline in North America, Best Cabin Crew in Canada and Best Economy Class Onboard Catering in North America.
The airline received additional recognition for its Toronto Pearson lounges. Air Canada at YYZ won Best Business Class Airline Lounge Catering and Best Business Class Lounge in North America.
Mark Nasr, Air Canada’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, said the awards reflect the work of the airline’s 40,000 employees. He noted that millions of travellers vote in the awards each year.
Porter Airlines was another Canadian winner, taking the title of Best Regional Airline in North America.
Globally, Singapore Airlines was named the World’s Best Airline for 2026, marking the sixth time it has received the top title.
Qatar Airways placed second overall, followed by Cathay Pacific Airways, ANA All Nippon Airways and Turkish Airlines.
Singapore Airlines also won World’s Best Economy Class and Best Economy Class Onboard Catering. Qatar Airways was named World’s Best Business Class, while Cathay Pacific received the award for World’s Best Cabin Crew.
AirAsia, meanwhile, was named World’s Best Low-Cost Airline.
THE WORLD’S TOP 20 AIRLINES IN 2026
1. Singapore Airlines
2. Qatar Airways
3. Cathay Pacific
4. ANA All Nippon Airways
5. Turkish Airlines
6. Emirates
7. Air France
8. Hainan Airlines
9. Japan Airlines
10. Korean Air
11. EVA Air
12. Qantas Airways
13. STARLUX Airlines
14. Lufthansa
15. Saudi Arabian Airlines
16. Iberia
17. Air Canada
18. Virgin Atlantic
19. Swiss Int’l Air Lines
20. Thai Airways
Per the news release, the winners are determined by travellers through Skytrax’s global airline passenger satisfaction survey.
For the 2026 awards, the online survey ran from September 2025 through August 2026, with customers from more than 100 nationalities taking part. It was offered in eight languages.
Skytrax says entries were screened, with duplicate, suspect and ineligible submissions removed. The awards are independent, with Skytrax covering the survey and awards costs and accepting no sponsorship.