It’s a big year for Hong Kong aviation as two of the city’s carriers are among the world’s best airlines in both the full-service and low-cost categories. According to airline safety and product rating review platform AirlineRatings.com, Cathay Pacific secured the No. 4 spot among the world’s top full-service carriers. The website also ranked HK Express No. 4 in its list of best budget airlines for the year. Both airlines beat regional rivals like Singapore Airlines, Japan Airlines, and Scoot in their respective groups.
The Best Airlines for 2025
Korean Air surpassed 2024 leader Qatar Airways for the title of Best Airline for 2025. This year, Air New Zealand came in third, followed by Hong Kong at No. 4, and Singapore Airlines at No. 5. The entire list comprises 25 full-service airlines and included Asian carriers like Japan Airlines (No. 7), Taiwan-based EVA Air (No. 11), Japan-headquartered ANA (No. 14), and Thai Airways, among others.
| RANKING | FULL-SERVICE AIRLINE |
| 1 | Korean Air |
| 2 | Qatar Airways |
| 3 | Air New Zealand |
| 4 | Cathay Pacific |
| 5 | Singapore Airlines |
| 6 | Emirates |
| 7 | Japan Airlines |
| 8 | Qantas |
| 9 | Etihad |
| 10 | Turkish Airlines |
| 11 | EVA Air |
| 12 | Fiji Airways |
| 13 | Virgin Atlantic |
| 14 | ANA |
| 15 | Aero Mexico |
| 16 | Air Caraibes |
| 17 | Thai Airways |
| 18 | STARLUX Airlines |
| 19 | Vietnam Airlines |
| 20 | Sri Lankan Airlines |
| 21 | Air France |
| 22 | KLM |
| 23 | Air Calin |
| 24 | Air Mauritius |
| 25 | Garuda Indonesia |
The list was put together by considering factors like whether a carrier provides passengers “a comprehensive full-service experience”, which includes meals, snacks and beverages. There are also criteria for economy class. For instance, the seat pitch — the distance between a point on one passenger seat and the exact same point on the seat directly in front of it — should be at least 31 inches, and business class must have flat beds. Airlines must also have a seven-star safety rating, a modern fleet, consistent service across the fleet, and a sound financial footing to be in the running.
The Top Low-Cost Airlines for 2025
AirAsia was deemed the best budget airline out of the 20 in consideration for this year. Australian low-cost carrier Jetstar came in second, followed by Latvia-based airBaltic at No. 3, HK Express at No. 4, and UK-headquartered Easyjet at No. 5. There was less representation from Asia in this list, with Singapore’s Scoot taking the No. 8 position.
| RANKING | LOW-COST CARRIER |
| 1 | AirAsia |
| 2 | Jetstar |
| 3 | AirBaltic |
| 4 | HK Express |
| 5 | Easyjet |
| 6 | FlyDubai |
| 7 | Ryanair |
| 8 | Scoot |
| 9 | Breeze |
| 10 | Southwest |
| 11 | SKY Airline |
| 12 | FlyNas |
| 13 | TUI |
| 14 | Norwegian |
| 15 | IndiGo |
| 16 | Air Arabia |
| 17 | Volaris |
| 18 | Jet2 |
| 19 | Wizz |
| 20 | Vueling |
Only carriers that give passengers a mix of affordable on-board services — think meals, drinks, and snacks — and a seven-star safety rating were considered for this category. According to AirlineRatings.com, preference was given to “exceptionally low base fares and [the ability to] maintain an excellent route network” over paid services like Wi-Fi and in-flight entertainment.
Earlier this year, Cathay Pacific and HK Express were among the safest airlines in 2025 in a previous report released by AirlineRatings.com. Global travel data provider OAG also recognised HK Express as the world’s fastest growing carrier after it boosted its flights by 46% in 2024.
Image credits: Hong Kong International Airport
