tl;dr – Another list for those who enjoy them.
AirlineRatings just published its list of the World’s Safest Airlines for 2026. Here’s a look at the top 25:
A few notable takeaways. According to Airline Ratings CEO Sharon Petersen (in re: Etihad), “this is the first year a Gulf carrier has taken the number one spot.”
Regarding newcomers, this year’s list marks the debut of Starlux and Fiji Airways.
Ratings and rankings are what they are, and of course, inherently subjective. However, it’s interesting to see that Qatar, Cathay Pacific, and Emirates all placed in the top 5 on both AirlineRating’s World’s Safest list and Skytrax’s World’s Best Airlines of 2025 list, which I wrote about the other week.
AirlineRatings also put forth a separate list focusing on low-cost carriers, with notable carriers Southwest ranking 6th, JetBlue 14th, and Hong Kong-based HK Express topping the list:
