Which Airline Is The Safest? Top 25 Full-Service Airlines For 2025 Revealed

When booking a flight, a common question is: which airline is the safest? While comfort, luxury, and speed are important, safety is paramount. AirlineRatings.com has now released its list of the world's top 25 safest full-service airlines for 2025. The list has been compiled from the 385 airlines it monitors. Topping the rankings is Air New Zealand, followed by Qantas in second place, while Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, and Emirates share the third spot.

The rankings are based on multiple factors to evaluate safety and reliability. These include serious incidents reported in the past two years, fleet age and size, incident rates, fatalities, profitability, IOSA certification, ICAO audit results, and pilot skill and training.

Here Are The Top 25 Safest Full-Service Airlines For 2025:

1. Air New Zealand
2. Qantas
3. Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways and Emirates
4. Virgin Australia
5. Etihad Airways
6. ANA
7. EVA Air
8. Korean Air
9. Alaska Airlines
10. Turkish Airlines (THY)
11. TAP Portugal
12. Hawaiian Airlines
13. American Airlines
14. SAS
15. British Airways
16. Iberia
17. Finnair
18. Lufthansa/Swiss
19. JAL
20. Air Canada
21. Delta Airlines
22. Vietnam Airlines
23. United Airlines

Sharon Petersen, CEO of AirlineRatings.com, said competition between Air New Zealand and Qantas for the top spot was intense. She stated, "It was extremely close again between Air New Zealand and Qantas for first place, with only 1.50 points separating the two airlines. While both uphold the highest safety standards and pilot training, Air New Zealand has a younger fleet, giving it the edge."

On the three-way tie for third place between Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, and Emirates, Petersen explained, "The three-way tie was because we simply couldn't separate these airlines. Their scores were identical across fleet age, pilot skill, safety practices, fleet size, and number of incidents."

AirlineRatings.com also unveiled its top 25 safest low-cost airlines for 2025. Here's the list:

Here Are The Top 25 Safest Low-Cost Airlines For 2025: 

1. Hong Kong Express
2. Jetstar Group
3. Ryanair
4. easyJet
5. Frontier Airlines
6. AirAsia
7. Wizz Air
8. VietJet Air
9. Southwest Airlines
10. Volaris
11. flydubai
12. Norwegian
13. Vueling
14. Jet2
15. Sun Country Airlines
16. WestJet
17. JetBlue Airways
18. Air Arabia
19. IndiGo
20. Eurowings
21. Allegiant Air
22. Cebu Pacific
23. ZipAir
24. SKY Airline
25. Air Baltic

Do you have a go-to airline for travel? Let us know in the comments.