World’s safest airlines for 2026

The world’s safest airlines for 2026 have been named, spotlighting global carriers that lead on safety standards, crew training, and operational discipline. The latest rankings list the Top 25 full-service and low-cost airlines from hundreds of operators reviewed worldwide. No Indian airline features this year, marking a change from 2025 when IndiGo ranked 19th in the low-cost category.The 2026 rankings, announced by AirlineRatings.com, place added focus on crew standards, operational practices, and turbulence prevention, which remains the leading cause of in-flight injuries. Airline Ratings CEO Sharon Petersen said the gap between the world’s safest airlines remains very narrow and should not be overstated. “What stands out this year is how little separates the leaders. Less than four points covered positions one through 14, and at the very top the margins were even tighter, with just 1.3 points separating positions one through six in the full service category. We may be reaching a point where traditional rankings risk being misleading, and where grouping airlines into performance tiers provides a more accurate reflection of reality. 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 said. The assessment relies on long-standing safety indicators such as incident rates adjusted for total flights, fleet age, serious incidents, pilot training, and international safety audits. “Much of our criteria remains consistent year on year and considers incident rates adjusted for the total number of flights, fleet age, serious incidents, pilot training and international safety audits. One change for this year is that we are placing a greater emphasis on turbulence prevention, as it remains the leading cause of in-flight injuries.” Top 25 Safest Full-Service Airlines for 2026 Etihad Cathay Pacific Qantas Qatar Emirates Air New Zealand Singapore Airlines EVA Air Virgin Australia Korean Air STARLUX Turkish Airlines Virgin Atlantic ANA Alaska Airlines TAP Air Portugal SAS British Airways Vietnam Airlines Iberia Lufthansa Air Canada Delta American Airlines Fiji Airways Commenting on changes to the full-service list, Petersen said, “This is the first year a Gulf carrier has taken the number one spot. 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.” She also said, “Another change that will be welcomed by our readers is the reinstatement of Singapore Airlines, which was excluded in 2025 following a serious turbulence related incident.” Top 25 Safest Low-Cost Airlines for 2026 HK Express Jetstar Airways Scoo flydubai (now considered full-service and to be assessed accordingly in future rankings) EasyJet Group Southwest airBaltic VietJet Air Wizz Air Group AirAsia Group TUI UK Vueling Norwegian JetBlue FlyNAS Cebu Pacific Jet2 Ryanair Ireland and UK Spring Airlines China Transavia Group Eurowings Group Volaris WestJet Group GOL SKY Airline Chile On the low-cost rankings, Petersen said, “Notable changes this year include the inclusion of Spring Airlines China, the first Chinese airline to appear on any of our rankings, and airBaltic, which has made a significant jump into the top 10.” 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.” Airline Ratings said that in an era where serious aviation incidents are rare, inclusion in the Top 25 reflects consistent safety practices, trained crew, and effective risk management across millions of flights each year.