Qatar Airways business class has now held the Skytrax World’s Best Business Class title for five years running. The most recent win came at the 2025 World Airline Awards. That is every year since Qsuite launched in 2017, minus 2020, when the awards were suspended for the pandemic. Qatar also won the category back in 2016, before Qsuite existed. So the streak is not just about one clever seat design. Food, crew, cleanliness and the Al Mourjan lounge in Doha all pull in the same direction. None of that explains what’s coming next, which is Qsuite Next Gen, already landing on the A350.
What is actually new for 2026 is not another Skytrax trophy. It is Qsuite Next Gen, the reworked version of that seat. It is finally due to enter service on the Airbus A350-1000 in the second half of this year. I have flown the current Qsuite enough times to know it is a hard act to follow. The interesting question is whether Qatar needed to bother improving it at all, given how far ahead it already was.
Why Qatar Airways Business Class Keeps Winning
A few numbers explain the run better than any amount of marketing copy. Qatar was named World’s Best Airline for a record ninth time at the 2025 awards. On top of that came Best Business Class, Best Business Class Airline Lounge for Al Mourjan, and Best Airline in the Middle East for the 12th year running.
Qsuite itself has not changed much since 2017. It still offers a 1-2-1 layout with forward and rear-facing seats. Every suite has a sliding door and a 79-inch flat bed. What sets it apart from most rivals is flexibility. The centre pairs can become a double bed, and four seats can convert into a shared quad for friends or family travelling together. I flew the current Qsuite on the London to Doha route. The quad setup alone makes most competitors feel like an afterthought.
The current double Qatar Airways QSuite cabin
The Door Race Everyone Else Is Still Running
Here is the bit that makes Qatar Airways business class actually interesting right now, rather than just repetitive. Sliding doors, which Qatar introduced to business class in 2017, are only now becoming standard across the industry.
Singapore Airlines is spending more than 800 million US dollars retrofitting first and business class cabins across dozens of its A350s. That brings doors to some of its seats for the first time. I have flown Singapore’s current A350 business class and the seat itself is excellent. The lack of a door is the one thing that dates it against Qsuite. Cathay Pacific’s Aria Suite, also with a door, is rolling out gradually across the 777-300ER fleet rather than all at once. ANA is launching The Room FX on the 787-9 from August 2026, its first door-equipped suite on that aircraft type. Emirates is putting 5 billion US dollars into refreshing its older 777s.
Every one of those is a real improvement for the airlines involved. None of them puts their cabins ahead of where Qatar already was in 2017. That is the actual story here, not the Skytrax trophy on its own.
Qsuite Next Gen Already Landing on the A350
Qsuite Next Gen was first shown off at the Farnborough Airshow back in July 2024. We covered the original unveiling here, if you want the full spec rundown from that announcement. Here is the short version of what changes:
Seat width grows from 21.5 inches to 23 inches upright, with roughly 4 more inches of shoulder room in bed mode
Screens move to 4K OLED, supplied by Panasonic’s Astrova system, up from the current LED units
Pitch increases to 100 inches
Doors become motorised and around 2 inches taller
A new Companion Suite lets window pairs face each other for meals, something previously only possible in the centre section
The Quad Suite gets a movable screen instead of a fixed one, opening the whole section into one shared area
None of that changes the core idea. It is still a private suite with a door, built around the same 1-2-1 layout. It is a solid upgrade to a seat that was already winning, not a reinvention.
Why the A350, Not the 777X
Qsuite Next Gen was designed with the Boeing 777X in mind, not the A350, and Qatar originally hoped to have it flying by 2025. Boeing’s delays have pushed 777X deliveries back to at least 2027. Qatar has switched the launch aircraft to the A350-1000 instead, with entry into service expected in the second half of 2026. No specific route has been confirmed yet.
It is worth remembering that the standard A350-1000 already carries the current Qsuite as, well, standard. There is no version lottery on that aircraft, unlike some of Qatar’s A350-900s and 777-300ERs. This is not a case of Qatar finally adding doors to the A350. It is upgrading the seat on the one aircraft where every passenger already had one.
Qatar Airways Quite 2.0 – NextGen QSuite
What This Means If You’re Booking Now
If you are booking Qatar Airways business class this year, you will almost certainly fly the current Qsuite, not Next Gen. That is not a downgrade. It remains the seat every other airline is still trying to catch. If having the door and the quad option is a priority, stick to the A350-1000 or check the seat map before you pay. Some 777-300ERs and A350-900s still carry Qatar’s older, door-free business class. Earning your way to Qatar’s Privilege Club or transferring Avios in still gets you the same product. There is no reason to wait for Next Gen before booking.
Six in a Row? Watching September’s Awards
The next Skytrax World Airline Awards, the event that will decide whether Qatar Airways business class extends its streak, take place on 18 September 2026, at The Langham in London. Qatar goes in as the defending champion in every category premium travellers care about. Next Gen should be entering service around the same time, even if it will not have flown widely enough to influence the vote. Whether that is enough to hold off Singapore, Cathay and ANA for a sixth year running is the one open question left. I will be watching the results as closely as anyone.
BG1 Verdict
Book the current Qsuite with confidence now. Keep an eye on A350-1000 route announcements for Next Gen later this year. Mark 18th September in your diary if you want to see whether Qatar makes it a sixth Skytrax award in a row.
Qatar Airways business class has now held the Skytrax World’s Best Business Class title for five years running. The most recent win came at the 2025 World Airline Awards. That is every year since Qsuite launched in 2017, minus 2020, when the awards were suspended for the pandemic. Qatar also won the category back in 2016, before Qsuite existed. So the streak is not just about one clever seat design. Food, crew, cleanliness and the Al Mourjan lounge in Doha all pull in the same direction. None of that explains what’s coming next, which is Qsuite Next Gen, already landing on the A350.
What is actually new for 2026 is not another Skytrax trophy. It is Qsuite Next Gen, the reworked version of that seat. It is finally due to enter service on the Airbus A350-1000 in the second half of this year. I have flown the current Qsuite enough times to know it is a hard act to follow. The interesting question is whether Qatar needed to bother improving it at all, given how far ahead it already was.
Why Qatar Airways Business Class Keeps Winning
A few numbers explain the run better than any amount of marketing copy. Qatar was named World’s Best Airline for a record ninth time at the 2025 awards. On top of that came Best Business Class, Best Business Class Airline Lounge for Al Mourjan, and Best Airline in the Middle East for the 12th year running.
Qsuite itself has not changed much since 2017. It still offers a 1-2-1 layout with forward and rear-facing seats. Every suite has a sliding door and a 79-inch flat bed. What sets it apart from most rivals is flexibility. The centre pairs can become a double bed, and four seats can convert into a shared quad for friends or family travelling together. I flew the current Qsuite on the London to Doha route. The quad setup alone makes most competitors feel like an afterthought.
The Door Race Everyone Else Is Still Running
Here is the bit that makes Qatar Airways business class actually interesting right now, rather than just repetitive. Sliding doors, which Qatar introduced to business class in 2017, are only now becoming standard across the industry.
Singapore Airlines is spending more than 800 million US dollars retrofitting first and business class cabins across dozens of its A350s. That brings doors to some of its seats for the first time. I have flown Singapore’s current A350 business class and the seat itself is excellent. The lack of a door is the one thing that dates it against Qsuite. Cathay Pacific’s Aria Suite, also with a door, is rolling out gradually across the 777-300ER fleet rather than all at once. ANA is launching The Room FX on the 787-9 from August 2026, its first door-equipped suite on that aircraft type. Emirates is putting 5 billion US dollars into refreshing its older 777s.
Every one of those is a real improvement for the airlines involved. None of them puts their cabins ahead of where Qatar already was in 2017. That is the actual story here, not the Skytrax trophy on its own.
Qsuite Next Gen Already Landing on the A350
Qsuite Next Gen was first shown off at the Farnborough Airshow back in July 2024. We covered the original unveiling here, if you want the full spec rundown from that announcement. Here is the short version of what changes:
None of that changes the core idea. It is still a private suite with a door, built around the same 1-2-1 layout. It is a solid upgrade to a seat that was already winning, not a reinvention.
Why the A350, Not the 777X
Qsuite Next Gen was designed with the Boeing 777X in mind, not the A350, and Qatar originally hoped to have it flying by 2025. Boeing’s delays have pushed 777X deliveries back to at least 2027. Qatar has switched the launch aircraft to the A350-1000 instead, with entry into service expected in the second half of 2026. No specific route has been confirmed yet.
It is worth remembering that the standard A350-1000 already carries the current Qsuite as, well, standard. There is no version lottery on that aircraft, unlike some of Qatar’s A350-900s and 777-300ERs. This is not a case of Qatar finally adding doors to the A350. It is upgrading the seat on the one aircraft where every passenger already had one.
What This Means If You’re Booking Now
If you are booking Qatar Airways business class this year, you will almost certainly fly the current Qsuite, not Next Gen. That is not a downgrade. It remains the seat every other airline is still trying to catch. If having the door and the quad option is a priority, stick to the A350-1000 or check the seat map before you pay. Some 777-300ERs and A350-900s still carry Qatar’s older, door-free business class. Earning your way to Qatar’s Privilege Club or transferring Avios in still gets you the same product. There is no reason to wait for Next Gen before booking.
Six in a Row? Watching September’s Awards
The next Skytrax World Airline Awards, the event that will decide whether Qatar Airways business class extends its streak, take place on 18 September 2026, at The Langham in London. Qatar goes in as the defending champion in every category premium travellers care about. Next Gen should be entering service around the same time, even if it will not have flown widely enough to influence the vote. Whether that is enough to hold off Singapore, Cathay and ANA for a sixth year running is the one open question left. I will be watching the results as closely as anyone.
BG1 Verdict
Book the current Qsuite with confidence now. Keep an eye on A350-1000 route announcements for Next Gen later this year. Mark 18th September in your diary if you want to see whether Qatar makes it a sixth Skytrax award in a row.
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