Aviation industry analysts, Airline Ratings has issued its annual ranking for the world’s safest airlines for 2025. The listing looks at 385 carriers and includes two separate categories: the Top 25 Safest Full-Service Airlines; and Top 25 Safest Low-Cost Airlines for 2025.
Asia-Pacific carriers dominate both lists, with Air New Zealand and Qantas battling it out at the top of the Full Service ranking, Cathay Pacific tying in third place, and Virgin Australia in fourth, while Hong Kong Express and Jetstar Group lead the budget pack.
Close competition
“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,” said Airline Ratings CEO Sharon Petersen.
She also noted Air New Zealand’s zero incidents in the modern jet era in an interview with Forbes, pointing out the “challenging conditions” the airline often operates in, such as “Queenstown, one of the most demanding airports due to its high mountain ranges and strong downdrafts.”
Petersen’s statement also highlighted the close competition for third place. “The three-way tie for third place [Cathy Pacific, Qatar Airways and Emirates] was because we simply could not separate these airlines,” she said, adding, “From fleet age to pilot skill, safety practices, fleet size, and number of incidents, their scores were identical.”
Winners and losers year-on-year
Since 2023, there have been some significant changes, Airline Ratings points out. For the first time, Iberia and Vietnam Airlines have made the Full Service list. Singapore Airlines and KLM were “notable absences” having narrowly missed out on the top 25 after “incidents” but are “exceptionally safe” and retain their seven-star rating, Petersen said.
In the Low Cost category, there are big changes also afoot, the analysts noted. Cathay Pacific subsidiary Hong Kong Express, founded in 2004 and now titleholder of the world’s fastest growing airline, took the number one spot thanks to zero serious incidents and what Airline Ratings called “a relatively flawless safety record.”
Other new entrants to the Low Cost list include Zipar, Jet2, and Air Baltic. But Spirit Airlines has done a sudden disappearing act after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2024 in a bid to financially restructure and reduce debt.
What are the rankings based on?
To come up with the rankings, Airline Ratings monitors a range of factors, from serious incidents and fatalities within the last two years, to fleet age and size, certifications, pilot skill and training, and even profitability as that can create operational challenges that affect safety.
It also consults with check pilots and aviation experts and takes into account whether safety incidents are the airline’s fault or result from harder to control factors such as a bird strike or manufacturing defect – as in the case of the now-infamous Alaska Airlines cabin depressurisation which occurred when a plug door blew out of a Boeing craft.
Travellers who want to find out more about airline safety can check the information available on a platform developed in a collaboration between Airline Ratings and Skyscanner that, alongside flight booking, allows users “to search for flights based on safety alongside price and duration.
The Lists
The world’s safest 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 Air Lines
- Vietnam Airlines
- United Airlines
The world’s safest low-cost airlines for 2025
- Hong Kong 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
