Scoot ranks second globally and retains the World’s Best Long Haul Low-Cost Airline title, while flynas and IndiGo lead their respective Middle East and India & South Asia categories
AirAsia has retained its position as the World’s Best Low-Cost Airline, extending its winning streak to 17 consecutive years at the 2026 Skytrax World Airline Awards. Singapore Airlines’ low-cost subsidiary Scoot ranked second globally and was again named the World’s Best Long Haul Low-Cost Airline, while Spain’s Vueling Airlines took third place and the title of Best Low-Cost Airline in Europe.
The annual rankings are based on Skytrax’s global passenger satisfaction survey, which ran from September 2025 to August 2026. More than 100 customer nationalities participated, with more than 300 airlines included in the survey. Singapore Airlines, in a separate announcement confirming Scoot’s award, said more than 24.8 million travellers took part in the 2026 survey.
AirAsia Retains Global Low-Cost Airline Crown
AirAsia once again topped the global low-cost airline rankings, marking its 17th consecutive win in the category. The Kuala Lumpur-based group said the recognition coincides with its 25th anniversary and described the award as a passenger-voted acknowledgement of its focus on making air travel more accessible.
Scoot, the low-cost arm of Singapore Airlines, followed in second place. Alongside its global ranking, Scoot was named World’s Best Long Haul Low-Cost Airline for the sixth consecutive year. Singapore Airlines confirmed the dual recognition following the awards ceremony in London on September 18, 2026.
Vueling completed the global top three and also secured the award for Best Low-Cost Airline in Europe. The remaining positions in the top seven went to Eurowings, Iberia Express, Volotea and Transavia France.
flynas Leads Middle East
Saudi Arabia’s flynas ranked eighth in the global list and was named Best Low-Cost Airline in the Middle East for 2026. The regional ranking placed flydubai second, followed by flyadeal, Air Arabia and SalamAir.
The recognition comes after flynas received a four-star Low-Cost Airline rating from Skytrax in June 2026 following a professional audit covering airport and onboard service standards. The airline said the assessment examined areas including seat comfort, cabin cleanliness, food and beverage quality, and cabin and ground-staff service.
flydubai ranked 18th in the global low-cost airline table and second in the Middle East category.
IndiGo Leads India and South Asia
India’s IndiGo placed ninth globally and was named Best Low-Cost Airline in India & South Asia. It topped a regional category that also included Akasa Air, Air India Express, SpiceJet and airblue.
IndiGo’s ninth-place global ranking puts it among the highest-positioned Asian low-cost carriers in the 2026 table, behind AirAsia and Scoot. AirAsia also led the broader Best Low-Cost Airlines in Asia category, with Scoot second and IndiGo third.
The 2026 Global Top 20
Skytrax’s 2026 ranking of the World’s Best Low-Cost Airlines is:
- AirAsia
- Scoot
- Vueling Airlines
- Eurowings
- Iberia Express
- Volotea
- Transavia France
- flynas
- IndiGo
- Allegiant Air
- Ryanair
- Jet2.com
- easyJet
- HK Express
- Peach
- JetSMART Airlines
- FlyArystan
- flydubai
- Sun Country Airlines
- airBaltic
Among the other regional winners, Allegiant Air was named Best Low-Cost Airline in North America, JetSMART Airlines took the South American title, FlySafair led Africa, FlyArystan topped Central Asia & CIS, and Jetstar Airways was named Best Low-Cost Airline in Australia.
How the Skytrax Rankings Are Determined
The World Airline Awards are based on Skytrax’s annual passenger satisfaction survey. The 2025/2026 survey was open to customers worldwide rather than being restricted to member airlines or a pre-selected group of carriers. Respondents were asked to make their own choices and rate their satisfaction with different aspects of the travel experience.
Skytrax says survey entries are screened to identify duplicate or ineligible submissions, while the survey itself is funded entirely by Skytrax. More than 100 nationalities participated and more than 300 airlines were included in the 2026 results. No payment or reward is made to survey respondents, according to Skytrax’s published methodology.
The 2026 results underline the continuing importance of the low-cost carrier segment across major aviation markets. With carriers from Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North America and other regions represented in the global top 20, the rankings reflect the increasingly international reach of budget and long-haul low-cost aviation.
