17 June 2025: Virgin Australia has scooped up two prestigious accolades at the 2025 Skytrax World Airline Awards in Paris, taking home awards for Best Airline Staff Service in Australia/Pacific and Best Regional Airline in Australia/Pacific.
The Skytrax World Airline Awards recognise excellence across all aspects of airline operations and customer experience. The 2025 awards ceremony held in Paris brings together airline leaders from around the world to celebrate outstanding achievements in aviation.
The award for Best Airline Staff Service in Australia/Pacific recognises the quality of airline service across both airport and onboard experiences. This recognition reflects the service provided by Virgin Australia's team at every touchpoint in the customer journey.
The award for Best Regional Airline in Australia/Pacific recognises an airline that primarily operates domestic and international flights on short to medium-haul routes up to approximately six hours.
Qatar Airways, which operates Virgin Australia’s long-haul flights between Australia and Doha under a wet lease agreement, was named the World’s Best Airline for the ninth time.
Commentary from Virgin Australia CEO, Dave Emerson:
"These awards are a testament to the dedication and care our team members demonstrate every single day. Our people are the heart of Virgin Australia, and this validation from Skytrax – one of the most respected voices in aviation – confirms what we see firsthand: our team members consistently go above and beyond to create wonderful experiences for our guests, and they do it with our signature Virgin Flair,” he said.
"To be recognised for both staff service excellence and as the best regional airline in the Australia/Pacific region reflects the significant investment in rebuilding Virgin Australia as a customer-focused value carrier. Every team member, from our ground crew to cabin crew, pilots to the team in our lounges, should feel immensely proud of this achievement.
“We are also pleased to see our partner, Qatar Airways, named the World’s Best Airline for the ninth time, recognising the quality of its product and service on the global stage.”
The Skytrax recognition adds to Virgin Australia's remarkable year of accolades. Earlier in 2025, the airline received the World's Best Cabin Crew award for the seventh consecutive year at the AirlineRatings.com Airline Excellence Awards, along with Best Regional Airline for Virgin Australia Regional Airlines (VARA).
