Vietnam Airlines drops in global ranking, Qatar Airways named world's best

The 2024 World Airline Awards, voted by British airline review and ranking site Skytrax, were announced in a ceremony held on Monday at the Fairmont Windsor Park, close to London Heathrow Airport.

Qatar Airways has been voted the World’s Best Airline at the 2024 World Airline Awards, the eighth time that the airline has scooped the title in the 25-year history of the awards.

The 2023 winner, Singapore Airlines, was ranked second in the world for 2024.

Vietnam Airlines, the national carrier of Vietnam, ranked 45th in the Top 100 Best Airlines globally for 2024, dropping one place compared to the previous year.

A Vietnam Airlines aircraft prepares to land at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi, April 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Luu Quy

Qatar Airways operates a fleet of 230 aircraft, including A380s, Boeing 777-300ERs, Boeing 787-8s and 787-9s, Airbus A350-900s and A350-1000s, along with a range of smaller capacity aircraft.

Criteria for selecting best airlines are based on factors such as fleet age, service quality, incident records, and problem-solving capabilities.

Other airlines making the top 10 globally are Emirates (UAE), ANA All Nippon Airways (Japan), Cathay Pacific (Hong Kong), Japan Airlines (Japan), Turkish Airlines (Turkey), EVA Air (Taiwan), Air France (France), and Swiss International Air Lines (Switzerland).

AirAsia was recognized as the Best Low-cost Airline, a title it has held annually since 2010. Scoot, based in Singapore, was awarded as the Best Long-haul Low-cost Airline.

The awards also highlighted top 10 airlines with the best cabin crews, which are Singapore Airlines, ANA All Nippon Airways, Garuda Indonesia, EVA Air, Cathay Pacific, Hainan Airlines (China), Japan Airlines, Thai Airways, Qatar Airways, and Malaysia Airlines.

Top 10 best low-cost airlines are AirAsia, Volotea, Fynas, Transavia France, Indigo, Vueling Airlines, airBaltic, Iberia Express, Ryanair, and easyJet.

Top 10 cleanest airlines are Cathay Pacific, ANA, EVA Air, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Japan Airlines, China Airlines, Korean Air, and Asiana Airlines.

The World Airline Awards have been running since 1999 and are widely regarded as a benchmark for airline excellence. Skytrax claims these awards are "independent and impartial," with the organization covering all expenses for the customer surveys and the awards ceremony.

The survey collects opinions from 21 million passengers across 100 countries, evaluating 350 airlines.