The APEX 2026 winners are out, and the Middle East just tightened its grip on the gold standard of flying. Five of the ten APEX World Class™ airlines hail from the region, a proud moment for carriers that have dedicated the last decade to turning cabins into catwalks of service, and sustainability.
Run by the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) with YATES+, the World Class program is a rigorous, audited benchmark spanning four pillars that today’s travellers care about. These include; Safety & Well-being, Sustainability, Service-Guest Experience, and F&B Execution. The awards are validated by academic experts and cross-checked against a year of guest ratings and NPS. Here’s how the Middle Eastern airlines did:
The winners of the Middle East
APEX WORLD CLASS™ (Middle East winners)
- Emirates
- Oman Air
- Qatar Airways
- Saudia
- Turkish Airlines
APEX FIVE STAR™ GLOBAL
- Etihad Airways
APEX FIVE STAR™ MAJOR AIRLINES
- Gulf Air
- Kuwait Airways
APEX FOUR STAR™ MAJOR AIRLINES
- EgyptAir
- Flydubai
- Middle East Airlines
- Royal Air Maroc
- Royal Jordanian
APEX FOUR STAR™ LOW-COST CARRIERS
- flynas
Special category mentions
- Best Entertainment: Emirates
- Best Food & Beverage: Qatar Airways
- Best in Class, Service-Guest Experience: Saudia
- Best in Class, Sustainability & F&B Execution: Turkish Airlines
What does the recognition mean for the Middle East?
This impressive haul cements the region as the benchmark for passenger experience, not just as a convenient place to connect. We can expect even more competition across the region as airlines compete with each other for service innovation and connectivity. To the rest of the world the message is clear, keep up, or get out of the competition to Middle East Airlines.
