Safest Airlines in the World for 2025

Air travel connects people and countries quickly and easily. While comfort and service are important, safety is always the top priority. Each year, AirlineRatings.com ranks the safest airlines based on serious incidents, fleet age, pilot training, safety audits, and more.

In 2025, Air New Zealand has been named the safest full-service airline, followed closely by Qantas.

Criteria for Ranking

The airlines were ranked based on:

• Serious incidents
• Fatal accidents
• Fleet age and size
• Pilot training
• IOSA certification
• ICAO audit
• Profitability

Top 25 Safest Full-Service Airlines (2025)

Rank	Airline	Notes
1	Air New Zealand	Younger fleet, strong safety record
2	Qantas	Excellent training, very close to #1
3	Cathay Pacific	Tied score for 3rd place
3	Qatar Airways	Tied score for 3rd place
3	Emirates	Tied score for 3rd place
6	Virgin Australia	Strong pilot training
7	Etihad Airways	High safety audits
8	ANA (All Nippon Airways)	Japanese precision and safety
9	EVA Air	Excellent safety practices
10	Korean Air	Moved up from last year
11	Alaska Airlines	Good incident record
12	Turkish Airlines (THY)	Modern fleet, trained staff
13–25	Others (see below)	TAP Portugal, Hawaiian, American, British, Lufthansa, etc.

• TAP Portugal
• Hawaiian Airlines
• American Airlines
• SAS
• British Airways
• Iberia (new in 2025)
• Finnair
• Lufthansa/Swiss
• Japan Airlines (JAL)
• Air Canada
• Delta Airlines
• Vietnam Airlines (new in 2025)
• United Airlines

Top 25 Safest Low-Cost Airlines (2025)

Airline	Region
HK Express	Asia
Jetstar Group	Asia-Pacific
Ryanair	Europe
easyJet	Europe
Frontier Airlines	USA
AirAsia	Asia
Wizz Air	Europe
VietJet Air	Asia
Southwest Airlines	USA
Volaris	Mexico
flydubai	Middle East
Norwegian	Europe
Vueling	Europe
Jet2	UK
Sun Country Airlines	USA
WestJet	Canada
JetBlue Airways	USA
Air Arabia	Middle East
IndiGo	India
Eurowings	Europe
Allegiant Air	USA
Cebu Pacific	Philippines
ZipAir	Japan
SKY Airline	South America
Air Baltic	Latvia (Europe)

Summary

• Air New Zealand is ranked the safest full-service airline.
• Qantas is a close second, just 1.5 points behind.
• Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, and Emirates tied for third place.
• IndiGo and AirAsia represent India in the safest low-cost airline list.
• Airlines were assessed based on safety records, training, and audits.