With air travel poised to take new and exciting turns in 2025, East Asia remains the hub for aviation excellence, wherein a list of various airlines sets the benchmark for ultimate service, innovation, and reliability. Whether flying across Tokyo, Hong Kong, or Seoul on city-hopping leaps or embarking on intercontinental travel, the region's best airlines have long been synonymous with unprecedented levels of luxury, organizational efficiency, and advanced technology. From top-notch safety records to wonderful customer experiences, here are the carriers that have made it to the top in the world. The following article examines the top 10 East Asian airlines of 2024 based on the Skytrax World Airline Award.
10. AirAsia
Photo by: Mehdi Nazarinia
AirAsia is a Malaysian low-cost airline and the largest low-cost carrier in Asia. AirAsia and its subsidiaries operate over 400 destinations in six countries, covering 25 countries. It is the first airline in the South Asian region to implement an electronic ticketing system.
| Aircraft Model | In Service |
|---|---|
| Airbus A320-200 | 69 |
| Airbus A320neo | 29 |
| Airbus A321neo | 4 |
| Airbus A321-200/P2F | 3 |
| Total | 105 |
9. Bangkok Airways
Photo by: Pierre Barthe
Bangkok Airlines is a regional airline based in Bangkok, Thailand. It operates scheduled services to destinations in Thailand, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Laos, the Maldives, and Singapore. Its main base is Suvarnabhumi Airport.
| Aircraft Model | In Service |
|---|---|
| ATR 72-600 | 10 |
| Airbus A319-100 | 11 |
| Airbus A320-200 | 1 |
| Total | 22 |
8. Vistara
Photo by: VENKAT MANGUDI
Vistara was an Indian full-service airline, based in Gurgaon, with its hub at Indira Gandhi International Airport before it was merged with Air India on the 12th of November 2024. The carrier, a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, commenced operations on 9 January 2015 with its inaugural flight between Delhi and Mumbai. As of November 2024, Vistara served 50 destinations across 12 countries.
| Aircraft Model | In Service |
|---|---|
| Airbus A320neo | 53 |
| Airbus A321LR | 4 |
| Airbus A321neo | 6 |
| Boeing 787-9 | 7 |
| Total | 70 |
7. Hainan Airlines
Photo by: Huy Do
Hainan Airlines is an airline headquartered in Haikou, Hainan, China. It is the largest civilian-run and majority state-owned air transport company. This makes it the fourth-largest airline in terms of fleet size in the People's Republic of China and the tenth-largest airline in Asia in terms of passengers carried.
| Aircraft Model | In service |
|---|---|
| Airbus A320neo | 1 |
| Airbus A330-200 | 8 |
| Airbus A330-300 | 20 |
| Boeing 737-800 | 133 |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 16 |
| Boeing 787-8 | 10 |
| Boeing 787-9 | 28 |
| Total | 216 |
6. Korean Air
Photo by: SkyTeam Virtual
Korean Air is the flag carrier of South Korea, and its largest airline based on fleet size, international destinations, and international flights. It is owned by the Hanjin Group. The airline's global headquarters is in Seoul, South Korea. The airline had approximately 20,540 employees as of December 2014.
| Aircraft Model | In Service |
|---|---|
| Airbus A220-300 | 10 |
| Airbus A321neo | 13 |
| Airbus A330-300 | 20 |
| Airbus A380 | 7 |
| Boeing 737-800 | 2 |
| Boeing 737-900 | 9 |
| Boeing 737-900ER | 6 |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 5 |
| Boeing 747-8I | 8 |
| Boeing 777-200ER | 8 |
| Boeing 777-300 | 4 |
| Boeing 777-300ER | 25 |
| Boeing 787-9 | 14 |
| Boeing 787-10 | 4 |
| Boeing 747-400ERF | 4 |
| Boeing 747-8F | 7 |
| Boeing 777F | 12 |
| AgustaWestland AW139 | 4 |
| Boeing 737-700/BBJ1 | 1 |
| Boeing 787-8/BBJ | 1 |
| Bombardier Global Express XRS | 1 |
| Gulfstream G650ER | 1 |
| Sikorsky S-76C+ | 1 |
| Total | 167 |
5. EVA Air
Photo by: Airlinerwatch
Eva Air is a Taiwanese international airline headquartered in Taoyuan City. It is one of the two largest airlines in Taiwan, along with state-owned China Airlines. The privately owned airline operates passenger and dedicated cargo services to over 40 international destinations in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America.
| Aircraft Model | In Service |
|---|---|
| Airbus A321-200 | 17 |
| Airbus A330-300 | 9 |
| Boeing 777-300ER | 33 |
| Boeing 787-9 | 4 |
| Boeing 787-10 | 12 |
| Boeing 777F | 9 |
| Total | 84 |
4. Japan Airlines
Photo by: oneworld virtual
Japan Airlines (JAL) is the flag carrier of Japan. JAL is headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. JAL was established in 1951 as a government-owned business and became the national airline of Japan in 1953. JAL Group operations include scheduled and non-scheduled international and domestic passenger and cargo services to 220 destinations in 35 countries worldwide, including codeshares.
| Aircraft Model | In Service |
|---|---|
| Airbus A350-900 | 15 |
| Airbus A350-1000 | 6 |
| Boeing 737-800 | 42 |
| Boeing 767-300ER | 24 |
| Boeing 777-300ER | 12 |
| Boeing 787-8 | 23 |
| Boeing 787-9 | 22 |
| Boeing 767-300BCF | 2 |
| Total | 146 |
3. Cathay Pacific
Photo by: Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport. The airline's operations and its subsidiaries have scheduled passenger and cargo services to more than 190 destinations and more than 60 countries worldwide, including codeshares and joint ventures.
| Aircraft Model | In Service |
|---|---|
| Airbus A321neo | 15 |
| Airbus A330-300 | 43 |
| Airbus A350-900 | 30 |
| Airbus A350-1000 | 18 |
| Boeing 777-300 | 17 |
| Boeing 777-300ER | 36 |
| Boeing 747-400ERF | 6 |
| Boeing 747-8F | 14 |
| Total | 179 |
2. ANA (All Nippon Airways)
Photo by: Paul Y. M. Chow
ANA is a Japanese airline headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. It operates on both domestic and international routes and is Japan's largest airline, ahead of its main rival, Japan Airlines. As of April 2023, the airline had approximately 12,800 employees. Having joined as a Star Alliance member in October 1999, ANA is indeed one of the best East Asian airlines.
| Aircraft Model | In Service |
|---|---|
| Airbus A320neo | 11 |
| Airbus A321-200 | 4 |
| Airbus A321neo | 22 |
| Airbus A380 | 3 |
| Boeing 737-800 | 39 |
| Boeing 767-300ER | 15 |
| Boeing 777-200 | 2 |
| Boeing 777-200ER | 8 |
| Boeing 777-300 | 5 |
| Boeing 777-300ER | 13 |
| Boeing 787-8 | 34 |
| Boeing 787-9 | 44 |
| Boeing 787-10 | 7 |
| Boeing 767-300BCF | 5 |
| Boeing 767-300F | 4 |
| Boeing 777F | 2 |
| Total | 218 |
1. Singapore Airlines
Photo by: Tom Boon
Singapore Airlines is the flag carrier of Singapore, with its hub located at Changi Airport. A member of Star Alliance, the airline is notable for highlighting the Singapore Girl as its central figure in the corporate branding segment and not significantly changing its livery throughout its history. Widely renowned as the best East Asian airline, Singapore Airlines is ranked as a 5-star airline as well as the world's best airline by Skytrax five times.
| Aircraft Model | In Service |
|---|---|
| Airbus A350-900 | 58 |
| Airbus A350-900ULR | 7 |
| Airbus A380-800 | 12 |
| Boeing 737-800 | 7 |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 16 |
| Boeing 777-300ER | 22 |
| Boeing 787-10 | 26 |
| Boeing 747-400F | 7 |
| Boeing 777F | 5 |
| Total | 160 |
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