Korean Air named among world's top 10 airlines at Skytrax awards

Korean Air announced Wednesday that it ranked 10th in the overall "World's Best Airlines" category at the 2026 World Airline Awards, organized by Skytrax and held recently in London.

Skytrax is a London-based aviation consulting and rating firm founded in 1989. Its World Airline Awards, considered one of the most prestigious in the industry, rank airlines by category based on passenger surveys conducted worldwide. This year's survey covered more than 300 airlines globally and ran from September last year through August this year.

Korean Air demonstrated strong competitiveness not only in the overall ranking but also across individual categories, finishing in the top 15 in a total of 14 categories.

The airline took first place in two categories: best economy class seat and best cabin crew in South Korea. The best economy class seat win marked a two-place jump from third the previous year, while the best cabin crew in South Korea title was retained from last year.

Korean Air also posted notable results in general and cabin-class categories. In the general categories, it ranked sixth for best airline in Asia, seventh for world's best family airline, in the top 15 for world's cleanest airline, 13th for world's best airline cabin crew and 13th for world's best airport service.

In the premium economy class categories, it placed seventh for best seat, 10th for best catering and 15th in the overall premium economy evaluation. It also ranked 14th in the overall economy class evaluation.

In first class, Korean Air placed eighth for best first class lounge at Incheon Airport, ninth for best first class seat and 10th for best first class lounge dining.

"This recognition reflects our sustained efforts to renew and improve service quality across the board in order to enhance the customer experience," a Korean Air official said. "We will continue to deliver travel experiences that exceed our customers' expectations and grow into the world's most beloved airline."

Korean Air has been earning strong international recognition on the strength of its differentiated service quality. In April, Skytrax designated it a five-star airline for the sixth consecutive year in its World Airline Star Rating, and the carrier also swept 13 awards in the inflight service category at the WTCE 2026 ceremony held in Hamburg, Germany.

Meanwhile, the Korea Fair Trade Commission gave final approval to Korean Air's mileage integration plan with Asiana Airlines — one of the last major hurdles before the two carriers' merger — clearing the way for the launch of a combined Korean Air to proceed at an accelerated pace.