The safest airlines to fly with in 2026 as new carrier claims the top spot

AirlineRatings.com has listed the top 25 safest airlines for 2026 among low-cost and full-service carriers operating across the globe.

The website behind the statistics studied 320 airlines and considered incident rates while adjusting for the total number of flights, fleet age, serious incidents, pilot training and international safety audits.

This year’s results, which is based on a consistent year-on-year criteria, also included “placing a greater emphasis on turbulence prevention, as it remains the leading cause of in-flight injuries”.

Etihad Airways claimed the top spot among the full-service carriers in what AirlineRatings.com described as a first for a Gulf carrier.

Miquel Ros / AeroTime“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. The airline also participated in our independent onboard safety audit and demonstrated excellent adherence to turbulence management in the cabin,” said CEO of AirlineRatings.com, Sharon Petersen on January 13, 2026.

Peterson stressed that the margins between the safety of each airline are “narrow” 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 is both sensationalist and false,” explained Peterson.

HK Express took the top spot for the safest low-cost airline for a second time, “driven by a modern fleet, exceptionally low incident rate, and an almost flawless onboard safety audit”.

Suparat Chairatprasert / ShutterstockThe top 25 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 (excludes Endeavor Air) 

American Airlines (excludes Envoy Air, Piedmont Airlines, and PSA Airlines) 

Fiji Airways 
Commenting on the results, Etihad said: “We’re proud to be named the World’s Safest Airline for 2026 AirlineRatings.com. This recognition is a testament to the unwavering commitment of our entire team to uphold our core value: Safety First, Always. The wellbeing of our guests and employees guides every decision we make, and this award inspires us to keep raising the bar.”

The top 25 safest low-cost airlines for 2026

HK Express 

Jetstar Airways 

Scoot 

flydubai (in future will be assessed as a full-service airline)  

EasyJet Group 

Southwest 

airBaltic 

VietJet Air 

Wizz Air Group 

AirAsia Group (excludes AirAsia Cambodia due to only two aircraft) 

TUI UK 

Vueling 

Norwegian 

JetBlue 

FlyNAS 

Cebu Pacific 

Jet2 

Ryanair Ireland and UK (excludes Buzz) 

Spring Airlines China 

Transavia Group 

Eurowings Group 

Volaris (excludes Volaris Costa Rica and Volaris El Salvador due to fleet size) 

WestJet Group 

GOL 

SKY Airline Chile 
“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,” concluded Peterson.

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