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AIRLINERATINGS released its ranking of the world’s safest airlines on Tuesday (01/130, 2026. AirlineRatings CEO Sharon Petersen revealed several factors or criteria considered in this ranking.
AirlineRatings unveiled its comprehensive ranking of the world’s safest airlines. AirlineRatings CEO Sharon Petersen revealed the factors or criteria considered in this ranking.
As stated on the official AirlineRatings website, “Most of our criteria remain consistent from year to year and take into account incident rates adjusted for total number of flights, fleet age, serious incidents, pilot training, and international safety audits.”
“This year, we are focusing more on turbulence prevention, as it continues to be the primary cause of in-flight injuries,” she stated.
To support this objective, the company considers airline participation in the IATA Turbulence Aware1 program or equivalent, as well as onboard safety audits from AirlineRatings.
Petersen also emphasized the importance of airline transparency in this ranking process. Which airlines have the highest safety ratings?
The following is a list of the world’s safest airlines, according to our latest ranking. For your information, the airline industry is divided into two categories: full-service and low-cost. Full-service airlines offer a comprehensive service package included in the ticket price.
This comprehensive service includes free baggage allowance, meals, in-flight entertainment, and superior seat comfort compared to that offered by low-cost airlines. Conversely, low-cost airlines offer significantly lower ticket prices than full-service carriers.
This is due to the fact that these airlines reduce or eliminate additional services such as free baggage allowance, meals, and entertainment.
Petersen underscored the significance of recognizing the nuanced distinctions among the world’s leading airlines.
He also emphasized that minor variations should not be construed as a compromise in safety standards.
“All of the Top 25 airlines are world leaders in aviation safety. Claims that one airline is significantly safer or less safe than another is sensational and untrue,” he said.
the safest full-service airlines in the world. According to AirlineRatings, the following airlines are recognized as offering the safest full-service flights worldwide. (1). Etihad (2). Cathay Pacific (3). Qantas (4). Qatar (5). Emirates (6). Air New Zealand (7). Singapore Airlines (8). EVA Air (9). Virgin Australia (10). Korean Air (11). STARLUX, (12). Turkish Airlines (13). Virgin Atlantic (14). ANA (15). Alaska Airlines (16). TAP Air Portugal, (19). SAS, (20). British Airways (21). Vietnam Airlines, (22). Iberia (23). Lufthansa (24). Air Canada (25). Delta2, (26). American Airlines3, (27). Fiji Airways.
Petersen highlighted that this year marked the inaugural instance in which an airline from the Gulf region secured the top position.
Etihad achieved this through a combination of a young fleet, advancements in cockpit safety, particularly regarding turbulence, a zero-accident record, and the lowest incident rate per flight among all airlines on the list.
“The airline also participated in our independent onboard safety audit and demonstrated excellent compliance with cabin turbulence management,” he continued.
We are pleased to offer the safest low-cost airline service on the global market. The following is a list of the world’s safest low-cost airlines: (1). HK Express (2). Jetstar Airways (3). Scoot (4). Flydubai (5). EasyJet Group (6). Southwest (7). AirBaltic (8). VietJet Air, (9). Wizz Air Group (10). AirAsia Group4, (11). TUI UK (12). Vueling (13). Norwegian (14). JetBlue (15). FlyNAS (16). Cebu Pacific (17). Jet2 (18). Ryanair Ireland and UK 5, (19). Spring Airlines China (20). Transavia Group (22). Eurowings Group (23). Volaris 6, (24). WestJet Group, (25). GOL, (26). SKY Airline Chile.
Petersen identified the presence of Spring Airlines China as the most significant change this year. Spring Airlines China is the first Chinese airline to be included in the AirlineRatings rankings.
“HK Express has again won the top award for the second time, driven by its modern fleet, very low incident rate, and near-perfect onboard safety audits,” he said.
“Given Hong Kong’s stringent incident reporting requirements, this low incident rate and absence of serious incidents truly reflect a very disciplined and well-managed operation,” he concluded. [kompas.com/photo special]
