Singapore Airlines won the Skytrax 2026 World's Best Airline, and Taiwan should learn from its long-term business spirit

◎ Jian Jinhai

As competition in the global aviation industry becomes increasingly fierce, Singapore Airlines once again won Skytrax's 2026 World's Best Airline. This award is not only an honor for Singapore Airlines, but also worthy of reflection by Taiwan’s aviation industry: Also in Asia, why can Singapore elevate its aviation services to an international brand? The answer is not temporary marketing, but decades of business persistence.

Singapore Airlines has once again won Skytrax's 2026 World's Best Airline Award for its decades of continuous business persistence. Pictured is Singapore Airlines. (Reuters file photo)

The first lesson that Singapore can learn from Taiwan is to make good use of its geographical advantages to build an international hub. Singapore connects Asia and the world with Changi Airport. Aviation is not only a means of transportation, but also an engine for tourism, business, trade and international exchanges. Taiwan is also at the intersection of important routes in East Asia. Taoyuan International Airport should further strengthen its transfer function, combine tourism, exhibitions and international business, and truly transform its "geographical advantage" into "industrial advantage".

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The second lesson is to build a brand with services and create value with talents. Singapore Airlines has long valued professionalism, friendliness, efficiency and safety, and regards every flight as a brand experience. In addition to upgrading hardware, Taiwan Airlines should also invest in talent training to strengthen language, international etiquette, crisis management and service capabilities, so that Taiwan's human warmth can become the competitiveness of international aviation.

The third lesson is that fleet renewal and green transformation go hand in hand. The new generation of energy-saving aircraft can reduce fuel, maintenance and carbon emission costs, and sustainable aviation fuel will also become a future trend. Taiwan's aviation industry should accelerate the replacement of old products with new ones and incorporate environmental responsibility into long-term corporate strategies.

More importantly, technological innovation cannot replace human services, but should make services more accurate and convenient. From digital reservations and membership management to in-flight entertainment and dining experience, we should continue to improve.

Only by taking safety as its foundation, service as its core, talent as its asset, technology as its tool, and sustainability as its direction can Taiwan transform from an "aviation market" to an "aviation power." The picture shows Taoyuan Airport, helping to clarify the cause of the crash. (Photo by reporter Zhu Peixiong)

The success of Singapore Airlines proves that world-class airlines are not created overnight. Taiwan does not need to copy Singapore, but it should learn from its long-termism and spirit of excellence. Only with safety as the foundation, service as the core, talents as assets, technology as tools, and sustainability as direction can Taiwan move from an "aviation market" to an "aviation power" and make Taoyuan an important gateway connecting Taiwan and the world.

(The author is a senior English- and Japanese-speaking tour guide and a college tourism business management lecturer)