These Are the World’s Cleanest Airlines in 2025

KaitlynTravel2025-07-089630

Witthaya Prasongsin/Getty

Tissues stuffed into the seat-back pocket, grime smeared across the tray table, and crumbs pulverized into the carpet: a messy airline cabin is unfortunately all too common on board many planes today. But there are a handful of airlines where a neat and tidy cabin remains a top priority—and passengers are taking notice.

Skytrax, an international air transport rating organization, has just released its list of the World’s Cleanest Airlines. Each year, Skytrax uses passenger surveys that examine the standard and quality of cleanliness of aircraft cabins across more than 325 airlines around the world. The surveys were conducted on a voluntary basis from September 2024 to May 2025, and passengers were asked to score the appearance of seat areas, tables, carpets, cabin panels, and lavatories.

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The top three cleanest airlines in the world for 2025 are all based in Asia. Taiwan-based Eva Air was named the cleanest airline in the world, moving up from the No. 3 spot in last year’s ranking. Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA) was awarded second place, and Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific took this year’s third-place slot.

Aside from the top three rankings, 10 additional carriers based in Asia also made it into the top 20 on the global cleanliness list, as did carriers from Europe, the Middle East, and Australia. Notably, no US airlines made it onto the worldwide list, but Delta Air Lines was recognized as the cleanest carrier in North America.

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EVA Air claims the title of world's cleanest airline, moving up from third place last year.Panuwat Dangsungnoen/Getty

For the top-ranked airlines, an immaculate aircraft interior is an integral part of the flier experience. “We believe a pristine cabin environment is fundamental to our passengers' comfort and peace of mind,” said a spokesperson for No. 2 airline ANA. “We are dedicated to continuously enhancing our cleaning protocols to ensure every ANA journey is a pleasant and fresh experience."

Each ANA plane undergoes a thorough cleaning process every night. According to the spokesperson, “this isn't just a quick tidy-up,” but rather a detailed cleaning of seat areas, tables, carpets, and windows. Lavatories also receive a comprehensive disinfecting regimen. Flight attendants are trained to be hygiene-conscious and are taught the slogan “Let’s quickly wipe,” which encourages crew to clean up small areas when they have a few free moments mid-flight.

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That commitment to cleanliness isn’t too common in an industry that focuses on tight flight schedules to maximize profits. “Currently airlines focus more on turning planes around quickly,” says Gary Leff, an air travel specialist and author of the aviation blog View From the Wing. “When [aircraft] aren’t flying, they aren’t making money. So often there’s not enough time to pick up trash thoroughly between flights even. Airlines think they make more money skimping on cleaning.”

As a result, most passengers have low expectations for the level of neatness once they step on board a plane. “I think cleanliness was a huge concern for passengers five years ago,” says Leff, referencing the pandemic when sanitization was top of mind for many travelers, and airlines marketed their cleaning and disinfecting strategies. “I’d hoped that might be something that stayed with us once the pandemic ended, but for the most part it didn’t.”

For some fliers, that shift away from an emphasis on aircraft hygiene has led to a feeling that planes today are dirtier today, especially in the US. However, that might be an illusion. “Planes are generally much cleaner than they were 20 years ago and probably no worse than they were in 2019,” Leff says.

If you’re looking to avoid grimy seats, sticky tray tables, and unmentionable lavatories on your next flight, here’s Skytrax’s complete list of the cleanest airlines in the world for 2025.

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EVA Air

ANA All Nippon Airways

Cathay Pacific Airways

Qatar Airways

Singapore Airlines

Hainan Airlines

STARLUX Airlines

Japan Airlines

Korean Air

China Southern Airlines

China Airlines