Air New Zealand remains the world's safest airline in 2025, according to AirlinesRatings.com. The Airline Safety and Product Ratings website rated 385 airlines using a seven-star rating system that considers a variety of factors.
Qantas follows Air New Zealand by just 1.5 points. Third place on the list of the world's safest airlines is tied for third place with Cathay Pacific, Emirates and Qatar Airways, all demonstrating good safety practices, pilot skills and fleet management. Hong Kong Express was named the world's safest low-cost airline in 2025.
Air New Zealand's impeccable safety record has played a key role in our top ranking as the world's safest airline, with zero serious incidents or collisions in recent years despite difficult operating conditions. Ta. The airline's commitment to safety is further reflected in its rigorous pilot training program and young fleet, with an average age of just 10.4 years. It is worth noting that Air New Zealand also won the title of “World's Safest Airline” in 2022 and 2024.
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Safest full-service airlines, low-cost airlines, determining factors, and more
Top 23 safest airlines in the world in 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/Switzerland JAL Air Canada Delta Air Lines Vietnam Airlines United Airlines
Top 25 safest low-cost airlines for 2025
AirlinesRatings.com named HK Express the safest low-cost airline due to its near-perfect safety record, average fleet age of seven years, and partnership with Cathay Pacific Airways. New additions to this year's list of low-cost airlines are Jet2 (14th), Zipair (23rd) and Air Baltic (25th). AirAsia, which flies to a wide range of destinations across the continent, was ranked 6th, while India's IndiGo was ranked 19th.
Hong Kong Express Jetstar Group Ryanair EasyJet Frontier Airlines AirAsia Wiz Air Vietjet Air Southwest Airlines Volaris Flydubai Norwegian Vueling Jet 2 Sun Country Airlines WestJet JetBlue Airways Air Arabia Indigo Eurowings Allegiant Air Cebu Pacific ZipAir SKY Air Bal tick
AirlinesRatings.com considers comprehensive criteria when rating airlines, including:
Age of the fleet: In general, the younger the fleet, the fewer maintenance issues and potential safety risks. Safety record: An airline's accident and incident handling history plays an important role. Audits and Certification: An important factor is whether an airline complies with safety regulations and industry best practices. Commitment to safety: Airlines that proactively implement innovative safety measures receive higher ratings.
This rating excludes factors beyond the airline's control, such as bird strikes, diversions due to weather, and injuries caused by turbulence. Additionally, AirlineRatings.com has partnered with Skyscanner to launch a new flight booking platform that allows users to prioritize safety alongside price and travel time when searching for flights.
(Feature image credit: @shortfinal_aviation, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
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Note:
Information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
author
Esha Dasgupta
Senior Digital Writer – Growth, Travel
Isha is a traveler at heart and enjoys exploring the unknown. she has worked before ..read more
