SINGAPORE: Singapore Airlines (SIA) has secured the fifth spot in this year’s ranking of the world’s best airlines by Airline Ratings, a global aviation safety and product rating agency. This comes after the national carrier slipped in Skytrax’s ranking of the world’s best airlines last year, moving from first place to second.
This year, SIA was outpaced by Korean Air, which claimed the top spot, followed by Qatar Airways, Air New Zealand, and Cathay Pacific.
Korean Air’s rise to the number-one position was attributed to its spacious economy class seating, which it shares with Japan Airlines. Passengers flying on the airline’s wide-body aircraft enjoy a seat pitch of 33 to 34 inches, while those on narrow-body aircraft get 32 to 34 inches. Additionally, Korean Air offers passengers on medium- and long-haul flights enhanced in-flight amenities, including slippers, an expanded entertainment selection, and more generous meal portions.
SIA remains one of Asia’s top full-service carriers, and despite coming in fifth, it was ranked ahead of several other renowned full-service carriers, including Emirates (#6), Japan Airlines (#7), Qantas (#8), Taiwan’s EVA Air (#11), and Japan’s ANA (#14).
Singapore Airlines’ budget subsidiary, Scoot, also received recognition in the low-cost airline category, ranking eighth globally. The top three low-cost carriers were AirAsia (#1), Jetstar (#2), and AirBaltic (#3). Other notable Asian low-cost airlines that made the list include HK Express (#4) from Hong Kong and IndiGo (#15) from India.
The top 25 full service airlines in 2025, according to Airline Ratings, are:
- Korean Air
- Qatar Airways
- Air New Zealand
- Cathay Pacific
- Singapore Airlines
- Emirates
- Japan Airlines
- Qantas
- Etihad
- Turkish Airlines
- EVA Air
- Fiji Airways
- Virgin Atlantic
- ANA (All Nippon Airways
- Aero Mexico
- Air Caraibes
- Thai Airways
- STARLUX Airlines
- Vietnam Airlines
- Sri Lankan Airlines
- Air France
- KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines)
- Air Calin
- Air Mauritius
- Garuda Indonesia