These are the world’s 20 best airlines, according to aviation experts

Air New Zealand is number one and Emirates ranks in sixth place in AirlineRatings' 2020 round-up

Air New Zealand has been named the world's top airline by AirlineRatings.com. AFP

Singapore Airlines slipped to number two in the global rankings. AFP

Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) ranked in third place. AFP

Qantas is ranked the fourth best airline by AirlineRatings.com. AFP

Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific rounds out the top five. AFP

Emirates ranked in sixth place. The Dubai airline also received awards for its Long-Haul services in the Middle East and for its in-flight entertainment . AFP

Virgin Atlantic ranked seventh in the list of the world's top airlines. AFP

Taiwanese airline Eva Air was listed number eight in the rankings. AFP

Qatar Airways ranked ninth. AFP

Virgin Australia rounded off the top 10 airlines as ranked by AirlineRatings.com. AFP

Lufthansa was ranked at number 11 in the world's top airlines. AFP

Nordic carrier Finnair comes in at number 12. AFP

Japan Airlines (JAL) is ranked in 13th place by AirlineRatings.com. EPA

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines celebrated its 100th birthday in October and the airline is still going strong, it was ranked 14th in AirlineRatings.com's annual list of top airlines. AFP

Korean Air ranked in 15th position. AFP

Hawaiian Airlines is ranked in 16th place by AirlineRatings.com. Courtesy Getty Images

British Airways celebrated a landmark 100th birthday in August and the airline has been ranked 17th in the world's top airlines according to AirlineRatings.com. AFP

Alaska Airlines made the cut, ranking in 18th position. AFP

American airline Delta is listed 19th in the airline rankings. AFP

Abu Dhabi's Etihad is the top 20th airline in the world according to AirlineRankings.com. AFP

Air New Zealand is the best airline in the world according to AirlineRatings.com, an Australian aviation safety and product-rating agency.

The Kiwi airline was lauded for its in-flight facilities, safety record, staff and environmental leadership. In the past 10 years, it has reduced its carbon emissions by more than 20 per cent, which is ahead of the industry average. The win is the sixth time Air New Zealand has been ranked the world's number one airline by AirlineRatings.com.

Air New Zealand also took honours in AirlineRatings.com's annual Excellence Awards. These awards consider major safety and government audits, fleet age, passenger reviews, product offerings and staff relations. Air New Zealand won Best Premium Economy award.

Coming in second place in the website's list of the world's top 20 airlines is Singapore Airlines. All carriers included in the list must achieve a seven-star safety rating. Singapore Airlines slipped down one place this year, off the top spot from 2019. The airline also received commendation for its First Class offerings.

Japan's All Nippon, Australia's Qantas and Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific round out the top five airlines in the world.

Emirates named best long-haul Middle Eastern airline

Emirates is ranked in sixth place in the AirlineRating.com list. The Dubai airline recently ordered 30 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and 50 A350-900 wide-body aircraft to upgrade its fleet. It is also set to introduce Premium Economy for the first time in 2020. Emirates also took awards for Best In-flight Entertainment (IFE) and Best Long-Haul Middle East airline.

“Emirates was one of the pioneers of IFE, and one of the first to install seat-back videos in economy. Today, its IFE platform Ice is in a class of its own,” said Geoffrey Thomas, editor-in-chief at AirlineRating.com.

Etihad makes the cut

Virgin Atlantic, Eva Air, Qatar Airways and Virgin Australia made up the world’s top 10 airlines. Lufthansa, Finnair, Japan Airlines, KLM, Korean Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, British Airways, Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines made up the remainder of the top 20 with Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the UAE, edging into 20th position.

Low-cost honours for Air Arabia

Elsewhere, Air Arabia was named Best Low-Cost Airline for the Middle East and Africa. The Sharjah carrier has recently partnered with Etihad to create Abu Dhabi's first low-cost airline. Called Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, the airline will operate out of Abu Dhabi International Airport and is expected to begin flying next year.