Nepal Airlines Corporation has been ranked second among the best regional airlines in the India and South Asia region in the Skytrax's 2026 World's Best Regional Airlines rankings, behind only Maldivian.
According to skytrax, the India and South Asia regional category placed Maldivian first, Nepal Airlines second, Alliance Air third, US-Bangla Airlines fourth and SerendAir fifth. Regional airlines is classifies as full service carriers primarily operating domestic flights and international flights of roughly upto six hours with the rankings based on the overall passenger experience delivered on short and medium haul routes including service and comfort.
For Nepal's state owned flag carrier, this ranking is being framed domestically as rare, genuine mark of international validation as the airline is in the news more often than not under topics such as fleet troubles, financial losses and management disputes rather than international recognition.
Nepal Airlines, the country's flag carrier since 1958, currently operates a small fleet of six aircraft, including Airbus A320s and A330s, serving 36 destinations combined across domestic and international routes.
Alongside the regional India/South Asia, Skytrax's has a seperate global "World's Best Regional Airlines 2026" list. which is topped by Bangkok Airways followed by Porter Airlines and Virgin Australia. This list doesnot include Nepal Airlines since it draws from all around the globe.
The rankings of the list are based on its global passenger satisfaction which ran from September 2025 through August 2026 and covered feeddback from travelers of more than 100 nationalities across 300 airlines.
Nepal Airlines has recently been expanding its international route network and adding regular flights to new destinations.
The 2026 World Airlibe Awards results were announced formally on September 18 at a ceremony at The Langham hotel in London.
