Etihad Airways Named World’s Safest Airline for 2026, Cathay Pacific and Qantas Follow

Gulf Carriers Lead in Airline Safety Rankings

Etihad Airways has been named the safest airline in the world for 2026 by AirlineRatings.com, an airline safety and product rating website, topping the list of 320 carriers. This marks the first time a Gulf airline has claimed the first position.

Sharon Petersen, CEO, AirlineRatings.com, said, “This is the first year a Gulf carrier has taken the number one spot. 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.”

The website announced its Top 25 Safest Full-Service and Top 25 Safest Low-Cost Airlines for 2026, based on its analysis of 320 airlines it monitors. Petersen stressed that it is important for the travelling public to understand just how narrow the margins are between the world’s safest airlines, and that small numerical differences should not be interpreted as gaps in safety. She explained, “What stands out this year is how little separates the leaders. Less than four points covered positions one through 14, and at the very top, the margins were even tighter, with just 1.3 points separating positions one through six in the full service category. We may be reaching a point where traditional rankings risk being misleading, and where grouping airlines into performance tiers provides a more accurate reflection of reality. All airlines in the Top 25 are world leaders in aviation safety, and claims that one is significantly safer or less safe than another are both sensationalist and false.”

Other leading airlines on the 2026 safety rankings include Cathay Pacific in second place, followed by Qantas. Gulf carriers Qatar Airways and Emirates also featured among the top-rated airlines.

The top 25 full-service airlines for 2026

1. Etihad

2. Cathay Pacific

3. Qantas

4. Qatar

5. Emirates

6. Air New Zealand

7. Singapore Airlines

8. EVA Air

9. Virgin Australia

10. Korean Air

11. STARLUX

12. Turkish Airlines

13. Virgin Atlantic

14. ANA

15. Alaska Airlines

16. TAP Air Portugal

17. SAS

18. British Airways

19. Vietnam Airlines

20. Iberia

21. Lufthansa

22. Air Canada

23. Delta

24. American Airlines

25. Fiji Airways

Explaining the methodology behind the rankings, Petersen said, “Much of our criteria remains consistent year on year and considers incident rates adjusted for the total number of flights, fleet age, serious incidents, pilot training and international safety audits. One change for this year is that we are placing greater emphasis on preventing turbulence, as it remains the leading cause of in-flight injuries. To support this, we consider an airline’s participation in the IATA Turbulence Aware programme or equivalent, as well as the Airline Ratings onboard safety audit. Transparency from airlines is also critical to this process.

“Other notable inclusions are STARLUX and Fiji Airways, both making their list debut. While we generally would not include a relatively young airline such as STARLUX, their approach to safety and transparency is exceptional, and the fact other leading airlines talk about them really says it all. Another change that will be welcomed by our readers is the reinstatement of Singapore Airlines, which was excluded in 2025 following a serious turbulence related incident. After visiting their safety and training centre and holding extensive discussions with their operations team, we are pleased to have them back on the list,” she added.  

Commenting on the world’s safest low-cost airlines, Petersen said, “Notable changes this year include the inclusion of Spring Airlines China, the first Chinese airline to appear on any of our rankings, and airBaltic, which has made a significant jump into the top 10. HK Express claimed the top accolade for a second time, driven by a modern fleet, exceptionally low incident rate, and an almost flawless onboard safety audit. Given Hong Kong’s stringent incident reporting requirements, this low incident rate and absence of serious incidents genuinely reflects a highly disciplined and well-run operation.”

The top 25 safest low-cost airlines for 2026 reflect a mix of established budget carriers and hybrid operators that have demonstrated consistent safety performance, operational reliability and adherence to global aviation standards. The list includes HK Express, Jetstar Airways and Scoot, alongside flydubai, which is currently classified as a low-cost carrier but will be assessed as a full-service airline in future publications. European operators feature strongly, with EasyJet Group, Wizz Air Group, Vueling, Norwegian, Ryanair Ireland and UK, Transavia Group, Eurowings Group and Jet2 all recognised for their safety records. The Americas are represented by Southwest, JetBlue, Volaris, WestJet Group, GOL and SKY Airline Chile, while Asia-Pacific carriers such as airBaltic, VietJet Air, AirAsia Group, TUI UK, FlyNAS, Cebu Pacific and Spring Airlines China complete the list. Together, these airlines highlight how low-cost carriers across regions continue to meet stringent safety benchmarks while operating high-frequency, cost-efficient networks for global travellers.

She concluded, “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.”