The World’s Safest Airlines for 2026 - Full Service and Low Cost

Every year AirlineRatings.com releases its definitive list of the world’s safest airlines, trusted by flyers around the globe to make smarter, safer travel decisions. The 2026 rankings are out — and there are some interesting shake-ups from previous years.

Here’s what you need to know when you’re booking your next flight.

🛡️ How These Safety Rankings Work

Before we get into the list, a quick no-nonsense breakdown of how these rankings are calculated:

AirlineRatings.com assesses airlines on a range of safety factors, including:

Incident and accident history
Fleet age and maintenance
Pilot training and crew expertise
International safety audits
Turbulence prevention and risk management programs

Importantly, CEO Sharon Petersen stresses that margins are very tight — all airlines on the list are highly safe. They’re grouped into tiers because tiny score differences don’t necessarily make one dramatically safer than another.

🏆 Top 25 Safest Full-Service Airlines for 2026

Full-service carriers tend to dominate the safety rankings due to larger fleets, rigorous training, and comprehensive safety systems. Here’s how the top 25 stack up for 2026:

Etihad Airways
Cathay Pacific
Qantas
Qatar Airways
Emirates
Air New Zealand
Singapore Airlines
EVA Air
Virgin Australia
Korean Air
STARLUX Airlines
Turkish Airlines
Virgin Atlantic
ANA (All Nippon Airways)
Alaska Airlines
TAP Air Portugal
SAS
British Airways
Vietnam Airlines
Iberia
Lufthansa
Air Canada
Delta Air Lines
American Airlines
Fiji Airways

🧠 Key Takeaways

Etihad takes the top safety spot for the first time. It edges ahead thanks to a young fleet, excellent turbulence management performance, and a crash-free record.

Heavy hitters like Qantas, Emirates and Singapore Airlines feature near the top — but in 2025 Singapore was notably missing due to a turbulence-related event, making its return to the list in 2026 noteworthy.

Fiji Airways and STARLUX make their debut. That tells you how competitive the safety space has become. Whether you’re flying internationally or domestically, most major carriers now operate with impressively low incident rates — meaning real world safety differences are small.

✈️ Top 25 Safest Low-Cost Airlines for 2026

Budget carriers have made major improvements in safety and transparency. These are the top low-cost airlines according to the 2026 rankings:

HK Express
Jetstar Airways
Scoot
Fly Dubai
easyJet Group
Southwest Airlines
airBaltic
VietJet Air
Wizz Air Group
AirAsia Group
TUI UK
Vueling
Norwegian
JetBlue
FlyNAS
Cebu Pacific
Jet2
Ryanair (Ireland & UK)
Spring Airlines China
Transavia Group
Eurowings Group
Volaris
WestJet Group
GOL
SKY Airline Chile

✍️ What This Means

HK Express holds the top low-cost spot again. Its modern fleet and minimal incident rate continue to impress safety analysts.

Jetstar keeps strong safety credentials, which could reassure Aussie travellers choosing budget airlines.

Ryanair, easyJet and other well-known European low-cost carriers maintain their places, showing that cheap tickets don’t necessarily compromise safety.

🧳 Bottom Line: What This Means for You

Safety rankings are not the whole story — aircraft age or a bird strike don’t tell the full picture — but they’re a useful indicator of airline transparency and overall operational excellence.

Every airline on both the full-service and low-cost lists is statistically safe. Real world risks are low across the board, and no airline on these lists has a history that should make a frequent flyer nervous purely on safety grounds.

When you’re booking your next ticket, use these rankings as a reference, but also pay attention to:

Flight routes
Aircraft type
Crew reputation
Airline safety policies

Because — let’s face it — safety doesn’t only come down to a number. But this list gives you a solid baseline for confidence in your next trip.