Experts have officially identified the world’s safest airline, following the release of AirlineRatings.com’s annual list of the top 25 safest carriers.
AirlineRatings.com, recognized as the only global airline safety and product rating website, has published its rankings for both full-service and low-cost airlines.
The list was compiled from an extensive review of 385 airlines monitored by the site. Now, the top performers have been revealed to the public.
Top Full-Service Airlines for 2025:
- Air New Zealand
- Qantas
- Cathay Pacific
- Qatar Airways
- Emirates
- Virgin Australia
- Etihad Airways
- ANA
- EVA Air
- Korean Air
- Alaska Airlines
- Turkish Airlines (THY)
- TAP Portugal
- Hawaiian Airlines
- American Airlines
- SAS
- British Airways
- Iberia
- Finnair
- Lufthansa/Swiss
- JAL
- Air Canada
- Delta Airlines
- Vietnam Airlines
- United Airlines
Top Low-Cost Airlines for 2025:
- HK Express
- Jetstar Group
- Ryanair
- easyJet
- Frontier Airlines
- AirAsia
- Wizz Air
- VietJet Air
- Southwest Airlines
- Volaris
- flydubai
- Norwegian
- Vueling
- Jet2
- Sun Country Airlines
- WestJet
- JetBlue Airways
- Air Arabia
- IndiGo
- Eurowings
- Allegiant Air
- Cebu Pacific
- ZipAir
- SKY Airline
- Air Baltic
Sharon Petersen, CEO of AirlineRatings.com, explained the close competition for the top spot:
“It was extremely close again between Air New Zealand and Qantas for first place with only 1.50 points separating the two airlines. Whilst both airlines uphold the highest safety standards and pilot training, Air New Zealand continue to have a younger fleet than Qantas which separates the two.”
She also addressed the tie for third place:
“The three-way tie for third place was because we simply could not separate these airlines. From fleet age to pilot skill, safety practices, fleet size, and number of incidents, their scores were identical.”
How Are Airlines Rated?
AirlineRatings.com uses a detailed set of criteria to assess airline safety. These include:
- Serious incidents in the past two years
- Fleet age and size
- Rate of incidents and fatalities
- Profitability
- IOSA certification (IATA Operational Safety Audit)
- ICAO audit results
- Pilot training and skill
The site explains:
“It is essential to evaluate all these factors in the appropriate context. For instance, an airline operating only 100 aircraft experiencing three incidents raises greater concern than an airline with 800 aircraft experiencing six incidents.
“Additionally, financial instability within an airline can lead to significant operational challenges, automatically disqualifying it as a candidate. Similarly, any airline found at fault for a crash or failing its IOSA certification cannot be considered.”
Source: uniladtech.com