US-Bangla moves up to fourth among South Asia’s regional airlines

US-Bangla Airlines has moved up to fourth place in Skytrax's 2026 ranking of the best regional airlines in India and South Asia, up from fifth in each of the previous two years.

Maldivian topped the 2026 list, followed by Nepal Airlines in second place and India's Alliance Air in third. US-Bangla ranked fourth, while Pakistan's SereneAir was fifth, according to the World Airline Awards published by Skytrax.

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The latest result marks an improvement for the Bangladeshi private carrier.

In 2025, Air India Express topped the regional category, followed by Maldivian, Alliance Air and Star Air, with US-Bangla in fifth place.

A year earlier, Maldivian ranked first, Air India Express second, Alliance Air third and Star Air fourth, while US-Bangla again occupied fifth position.

The World Airline Awards are based on an annual passenger satisfaction survey conducted by Skytrax. Introduced in 1999, the awards are based on passengers' ratings of airlines and different aspects of their airport and onboard experiences.

For the 2026 awards, the customer survey was conducted between September 2025 and August 2026, with passengers of more than 100 nationalities taking part. More than 300 airlines were included in the results, according to Skytrax.

Skytrax defines regional airlines for the awards as full-service carriers that primarily operate domestic and international flights of up to around six hours, although some may also operate a limited number of longer services.

In a statement, US-Bangla said it was working to expand its fleet and international route network, increase flight frequencies and introduce more technology-driven passenger services as part of its future expansion plans.