The world’s saftest airlines have been announced following a survey highlighting excellence in turbulence prevention, crew expertise and overall safety.
AirlineRatings.com has revealed its ‘Top 25 Safest Full-Service’ and ‘Top 25 Low-Cost Airlines’ for 2026 from the 320 airlines it monitors.
Etihad became the first Gulf carrier to take out top spot in the full-service category, followed by Cathay Pacific and Qantas. Virgin Australia also made the top 10, coming in at number 9.
“Etihad achieved this through a combination of factors: a young fleet, advancements in cockpit safety, particularly around turbulence, a crash-free history and the lowest incident rate per flight of any airline on the list,” said Sharon Petersen, CEO of AirlineRatings.com
“The airline also participated in our independent onboard safety audit and demonstrated excellent adherence to turbulence management in the cabin.”
Jetstar came in second on the list of low-cost airlines, with HK Express taking out top spot.
Ms Petersen stressed that it was important for the travelling public to understand just how narrow the margins are between the world’s safest airlines and that small numerical differences should not be interpreted as gaps in safety.
“All airlines in the top 25 are world leaders in aviation safety and claims that one is significantly safer or less safe than another are both sensationalist and false,” she added.
“Overall, it is important to note that every airline featured in the 2026 list has recorded incidents over the past two years, from tail strikes to on-board fires and engine shutdowns, yet the actual incident rate per flight sits between 0.002 and 0.09 across the airlines, which is a true credit to the industry as a whole.”
The top 10 full-service airlines for 2026
- Etihad
- Cathay Pacific
- Qantas
- Qatar
- Emirates
- Air New Zealand
- Singapore Airlines
- EVA Air
- Virgin Australia
- Korean Air
The top 10 safest low-cost airlines for 2026
- HK Express
- Jetstar Airways
- Scoot
- flydubai
- EasyJet Group
- Southwest
- airBaltic
- VietJet Air
- Wizz Air Group
- AirAsia Group
https://www.airlineratings.com/
