Middle East’s best airline named by APEX
Win for Emirates Airline: Middle East best airline crown 2026 Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) Best in Airline Awards. For its part, the carrier last won the Middle East award in 2024 after two years back on top.
Emirates also received the award for best inflight entertainment in the world, courtesy ice, which boasts more than 6,500 channels of film television music and sport.
Dr Joe Leader, CEO of APEX Group says, "The winners this year are innovators who shape goods through passenger insights. They have listened to and responded to every criticism they can find, using their time and money to raise expectations and improve the future of the onboard experience, setting standards for service and innovation across the whole industry."
Etihadi also wins in the category for best food and beverage among other regional winners which include Oman Air: Best Seat Comfort & Saudia Airlines: Best Cabin Service. Qatar Airways was also awarded for its in-flight WiFi, with the carrier still in the midst of rolling out Starlink WiFi, having been one of the first regional carriers that partnered with it.
This accolade comes as Emirates revisits its US$5 billion fleet retrofit programme one of the largest cabin upgrade initiatives in the aviation sector.
Among the enhancements is Starlink WiFi, which was recently rolled out on the airline's Airbus A380 aircraft providing free in-air high-speed connectivity. Other cabin upgrades include the introduction of Premium Economy class across its fleet.
Emirates has now refurbished more than 90 aircraft and has another 120-plus undergoing refurbishment.
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