Qatar Airways, the new partner and part owner of Virgin Australia, has been awarded the title of the world's best airline for 2025 at the annual World Airline Awards, marking its second consecutive win. This marks the ninth time the Middle Eastern carrier, which acquired a 25% stake in Virgin earlier this year, has claimed the prestigious award.

Qatar Airways not only secured the title of the world's best airline but also took home the award for the world's best business class. Following closely behind, Singapore Airlines ranked second, with Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific, Dubai's Emirates, and Japan's All Nippon Airways rounding out the top five.

On the other hand, Qantas has shown significant improvement by climbing 10 places in the rankings to secure the 14th spot in the world's best airline list. This marks a notable recovery from its low point in 2024 when it dropped to 24th place. Despite this progress, Qantas still has some ground to cover to reach its previous highs, having been ranked in the top five as recently as 2022.