Seen Here: FlySafair has once again been crowned Best Low-Cost Airline in Africa at the 2026 World Airline Awards, securing the prestigious title for the fifth time. Recognised by Skytrax for its commitment to reliability, affordability and customer experience, the South African carrier continues to make its mark across the continent’s aviation landscape.With an impressive 94.24% on-time performance in August and a strong record of industry recognition, FlySafair’s latest achievement celebrates the people, passengers and performance behind the brand.Photo Credit: Supplied
Johannesburg, 18 September 2026 — South African low-cost carrier FlySafair has once again been named Best Low-Cost Airline in Africa at the 2026 World Airline Awards, adding another major industry accolade to its growing record of recognition.
The award, presented by international air transport rating organisation Skytrax at a ceremony held at The Langham Hotel in London, marks the airline’s fifth victory in the category.
FlySafair previously won the continental title in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2025, reinforcing its position as a prominent player in Africa’s low-cost aviation market.
The latest recognition comes at a time when airlines continue to compete intensely on affordability, operational reliability and passenger experience, making customer satisfaction an increasingly important differentiator in the aviation sector.
“This recognition from Skytrax belongs to every team member at FlySafair who shows up each day to get South Africans where they need to be, safely, on time and affordably,” said Kirby Gordon, Chief Marketing Officer at FlySafair.
“Being named Africa’s Best Low-Cost Airline reflects that consistency, and it’s an honour we don’t take for granted. To our customers, thank you for continuing to choose us and for trusting us with your journeys.”
Customer satisfaction drives global recognition
The World Airline Awards, established in 1999, are based on Skytrax’s global airline customer satisfaction survey and are widely recognised within the aviation industry.
The latest survey covered the period from September 2025 to August 2026 and attracted more than 24.8 million eligible entries from customers representing more than 100 nationalities. The survey assessed airlines across the global aviation market, with results covering more than 300 carriers.
Skytrax CEO Edward Plaisted congratulated FlySafair on the achievement, saying the award recognised the airline’s efforts to provide a reliable and customer-focused travel experience.
The accolade also places renewed attention on FlySafair’s operational performance, particularly its focus on punctuality.
The airline reported an on-time performance of 94.24% in August, with its OTP remaining above 90% throughout 2026.
Gordon said transparency around the airline’s operational performance remained an important part of its relationship with customers.
“Being transparent about our OTP rating is incredibly important to what we do at FlySafair. It keeps us accountable to our customers and ensures we run an efficient and safe operation from take-off to landing,” he said.
Recognition across the aviation industry
The Skytrax award forms part of a broader run of industry recognition for FlySafair during 2026.
Earlier this month, the airline was named Africa’s Leading Low-Cost Airline at the 2026 World Travel Awards Africa Gala Ceremony in Zanzibar.
This followed a strong showing at the 2025 SACAA Civil Aviation Industry Awards, where FlySafair received five awards, including Best Airline by Public Vote.
The successive accolades highlight the carrier’s growing profile within the regional aviation sector, while its performance metrics and customer feedback continue to underpin its positioning around affordability, reliability and service.
For FlySafair, the latest Skytrax recognition represents both an industry milestone and an acknowledgement of the people behind its daily operations.
As the airline continues to operate across its domestic and regional network, maintaining consistency in service delivery and operational performance will remain central to its ability to retain customer confidence in an increasingly competitive aviation market.
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