The UAE flag carrier Emirates has been named the world’s best airline for inflight entertainment at the 2026 World Airline Awards, while also ranking as the second most family-friendly carrier globally, according to results announced by Skytrax.
The Dubai-based carrier topped the inflight entertainment category ahead of Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, Qatar Airways and Virgin Atlantic, recognising its ice entertainment system, which offers thousands of channels of films, television and music across its fleet.
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Emirates airline’s inflight entertainment offers travellers up to 6,500 channels of movies, TV shows, music and games, on demand and in multiple languages. In additiona, travellers also have access to weather, news and sport reports and information about their flight on their screen. You
The Dubai carrier also offers free Starlink Wi-Fi on board its selected flights to stream, game, video call, work or browse when you fly.
In the family-friendly rankings, Emirates placed second behind EVA Air, with Lufthansa, Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines rounding out the top five. The award reflects family-oriented offerings such as priority boarding, spacious seating, and dedicated inflight entertainment and meal options for children.
Emirates also featured among the top performers in premium travel, taking second place for Best Premium Economy Class Airline and fourth for Best First Class Airline.
In addition, the Dubai-based carrier was also ranked highly in the Best First Class and Premium Economy Class categories, placing it among the world’s top five airlines.
Among top 10
Emirates placed sixth in the overall World’s Top 20 Airlines ranking, with Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Ana All Nippon Airways, Turkish Airlines, Air France, Hainan Airlines, Japan Airlines and Korean Air rounding off in the top 10.
Singapore Airlines was named World’s Best Airline for the sixth time in the awards’ history, unseating nine-time winner Qatar Airways, which slipped to second place.
The World Airline Awards, held annually since 1999, are based on a global customer survey that ran from September 2025 to August 2026, drawing responses from more than 100 nationalities. More than 300 airlines were featured in this year’s results.
Widely regarded as “the Oscars of the aviation industry,” the awards are funded entirely by Skytrax, with no entry fees or sponsorships involved in the process.
Source: Khaleej Times