Top 10 Safest Airlines in the World for 2026
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Edited by Adinda Irawan
Edited by 
TL;DR: Per AirlineRatings' 2026 ranking, Etihad is the first Gulf carrier to top the safest-airline list, followed by Cathay Pacific, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Emirates and others. Explains the scoring criteria and notes ANA/Lufthansa dropped from the top 10.
Which airlines are the safest in 2026?
Etihad Airways tops the AirlineRatings 2026 ranking of the safest full-service airlines, followed by Cathay Pacific and Qantas. AirlineRatings published the ranking on 13 Jan 2026 and monitors 320 airlines. Etihad is the first Gulf carrier to top its list, and it replaces Air New Zealand in first place.
When you book a flight, safety comes first. The ranking on this page is the AirlineRatings ranking, not a Laters score. We report it in rank order, with what it measures and what it cannot tell you.
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The 2026 top 10 at a glance
| Rank | Airline | Based in |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Etihad Airways | United Arab Emirates |
| 2 | Cathay Pacific | Hong Kong |
| 3 | Qantas | Australia |
| 4 | Qatar Airways | Qatar |
| 5 | Emirates | United Arab Emirates |
| 6 | Air New Zealand | New Zealand |
| 7 | Singapore Airlines | Singapore |
| 8 | EVA Air | Taiwan |
| 9 | Virgin Australia | Australia |
| 10 | Korean Air | South Korea |
Source: AirlineRatings, full-service airlines, 13 Jan 2026. AirlineRatings runs a separate list for low-cost airlines.
How the ranking is built
AirlineRatings scores each airline on:
- Incident rates, adjusted for the airline’s total number of flights
- Serious incidents
- Fleet age
- Pilot training
- International safety audits
- Turbulence prevention, including whether the airline takes part in IATA’s Turbulence Aware program or an equivalent
- Its own onboard safety audit
Turbulence prevention carries more weight in 2026 than in earlier editions.
Only airlines with a seven-star safety rating can enter the top 25. An airline loses stars for serious pilot-related incidents, and it loses three stars for a fatal accident in the past 10 years. Crashes caused by another aircraft, terrorism and hijacking do not count against it.
The scores at the top are close. Only 1.3 points separate positions one to six, and AirlineRatings says small numerical differences should not be read as gaps in safety.
The 2026 top 10 safest airlines, in rank order
1. Etihad Airways (UAE)
Etihad Airways ranks 1st on the AirlineRatings 2026 full-service list. It was 5th in 2025 and is the first Gulf carrier to reach first place.
2. Cathay Pacific (Hong Kong)
Cathay Pacific ranks 2nd on the 2026 list, up from a shared 3rd place in 2025.
3. Qantas Airways (Australia)
Qantas ranks 3rd on the 2026 list, after 2nd place in 2025. It has had no fatal accident in the jet era: none since 1951, according to AirlineRatings.
4. Qatar Airways (Qatar)
Qatar Airways ranks 4th on the 2026 list. It shared 3rd place in 2025.
5. Emirates (UAE)
Emirates ranks 5th on the 2026 list. It shared 3rd place in 2025. Emirates and Etihad, both from the UAE, are in the top five.
6. Air New Zealand (New Zealand)
Air New Zealand ranks 6th on the 2026 list. It was 1st in 2025.
7. Singapore Airlines (Singapore)
Singapore Airlines ranks 7th on the 2026 list. Its record includes a fatal crash at Taipei on 31 Oct 2000 (flight SQ006, a Boeing 747-400), in which 83 of the 179 people on board died. In May 2024, flight SQ321 from London Heathrow to Singapore hit severe turbulence and diverted to Bangkok. One passenger died; Bangkok officials said the cause was likely a heart attack, according to news reports.
8. EVA Air (Taiwan)
EVA Air ranks 8th on the 2026 list, after 7th place in 2025. Its record at the Aviation Safety Network includes a runway excursion at Taipei Taoyuan on 2 Sep 2010: a Boeing 747-400 from Shanghai left the runway and was substantially damaged. No one died.
Virgin Australia ranks 9th on the 2026 list. With Qantas, it is one of two Australian airlines in the top 10.
Korean Air ranks 10th on the 2026 list and is the only South Korean airline in the top 10.
Also rated: ANA and Lufthansa
Earlier versions of this page listed ANA and Lufthansa in the top 10. Neither is in the 2026 top 10, but both are on the AirlineRatings top 25.
What the ranking does not tell you
- The margins at the top are small. Positions one to six are within 1.3 points.
- A ranking is not a prediction for one flight. It compares airlines on their records and safety practices; it does not tell you what will happen on a single trip.
- A top-10 airline can still have incidents on record. Singapore Airlines (SQ006 in 2000, SQ321 in 2024) and EVA Air (a runway excursion in 2010) are examples.
- The list changes each year. In 2025, AirlineRatings put Air New Zealand 1st and Qantas 2nd, with Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways and Emirates sharing 3rd and Etihad 5th.
AirlineRatings gave turbulence prevention more weight for 2026. To learn what happens in rough air and how to prepare, read our guide to flying through turbulence.
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What to check before you book
- The airline’s place on the current list, and the year of that list. Ranks change from one year to the next.
- The aircraft model and its age. Fleet age is one of the AirlineRatings criteria. If you want to avoid one aircraft type, see Airlines that don’t fly the Boeing 737 MAX.
- Trusted payment partners and a secure checkout.
Final thoughts
This list follows the AirlineRatings ranking published on 13 Jan 2026: Etihad Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas lead. Use it to shortlist airlines, then check the aircraft on your flight and the airline’s record.
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