Think airline food and you probably picture a sad tray and a bread roll. The 2026 World Culinary Awards would like a word. This year's edition crowned winners across the aviation world, and a few of the results might change how you pick your next flight or where you kill time before boarding.
The big story is Vietnam Airlines, named World's Best Culinary Airline 2026 — the first Asian carrier ever to take the title. It saw off heavyweight competition from Emirates, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Air France, Cathay Pacific and Turkish Airlines. The airline leans hard into promoting Vietnamese cuisine, with menus that shift by season and route so no two flights taste quite the same. Economy passengers get the much-loved crispy layered croissant at breakfast, plus rice or pasta dishes with sauce, dessert and a roll at mealtimes.
Business class goes further afield. On flights to South Korea you might find bibimbap, ginseng chicken soup or black bean noodles; Europe-bound flights serve up French, German and British dishes. Better still, business travellers heading to Europe, Australia or the US can pre-order their meals — worth doing if you have your heart set on something specific.
On the ground, London Heathrow was named the world's best airport for dining, beating Dubai International, Hamad in Doha, Hong Kong, JFK, Paris Aéroport and Changi. Across its four terminals there's plenty beyond the usual chains. Terminal 2 is home to Le Café Louis Vuitton, where the signature hazelnut flower dessert — ganache, praline and fleur de sel shaped like the brand's monogram — is almost too pretty to eat. Over in Terminal 5, Gordon Ramsay's Plane Food Market covers everything from all-day breakfast and pizza to sushi, noodles and proper fish and chips.
The lounge awards split in two. Turkish Airlines' international lounges won best airline lounge for dining, edging out Air France's La Première at CDG, Etihad's First Class Lounge and Spa at Zayed International, Lufthansa's Frankfurt first lounge, Qatar's Al Safwa, SWISS's Zürich lounge, Thai's Royal Orchid Prestige and Virgin Atlantic's Heathrow Clubhouse. You don't have to fly long-haul from Istanbul to try one either — Turkish Airlines operates these lounges at airports including Edinburgh, with Turkish and international dishes on hot and cold buffets.
The best airport lounge for dining went somewhere closer to home: Clubrooms at Gatwick's South Terminal. Menus change seasonally, and there's real thought in the spread — eggs benedict and Belgian waffles in the morning, then chicken Caesar salad, a gochujang chicken thigh bowl or Moroccan nut roast with lemon-olive-oil green beans in the evening.
Why does this matter for travellers? Because food is increasingly part of how people choose flights and airports, especially on long hauls where you'll eat two or three meals in the air. If you're booking to Vietnam or Southeast Asia, Vietnam Airlines' win is a genuine reason to compare it against the usual Gulf and Singapore carriers. And if you're transiting Heathrow, you can now plan a proper sit-down meal rather than settling for a meal deal — with Heathrow, Gatwick and Turkish's Edinburgh lounge all within reach of UK travellers, this year's winners are unusually easy to actually visit.
