Top Aviation Companies with the Highest Safety Ratings in 2025
In a significant move, AirlineRatings.com has unveiled its list of the Top 25 Safest Full-Service and Low-Cost Airlines for the year 2025. The comprehensive ranking is based on a rigorous safety and performance evaluation, taking into account multiple key criteria.
The evaluation process considers serious incidents over the past two years, focusing on pilot-related safety incidents and how effectively airlines manage these events. It also examines fatal accidents in the last 10 years, with specific consideration of crashes involving passengers or crew, while excluding incidents caused by terrorism or clearly external factors.
Other factors evaluated include fleet age and size, rate of incidents and fatalities, profitability and financial stability, compliance with international safety audits, and how airlines and their crews handle incidents.
Iberia and Vietnam Airlines have made their list debut for the Top 25 Safest Full-Service Airlines, joining established names such as Etihad Airways, ANA, EVA Air, Korean Air, Alaska Airlines, Turkish Airlines, TAP Portugal, Hawaiian Airlines, American Airlines, SAS, British Airways, Iberia, Finnair, Lufthansa/Swiss, JAL, Air Canada, Delta Airlines, and United Airlines. Korean Air has moved up in the rankings, even rising into the top 10.
However, Singapore Airlines is a notable absence from the Top 25 Safest Full-Service Airlines. On the other hand, Qatar Airways, Emirates, and Virgin Australia are among the Top 25 Safest Full-Service Airlines for 2025.
In the Low-Cost Airlines category, HK Express claims the top spot, with Zipair, Jet2, and Air Baltic making their debut. The Top 25 Safest Low-Cost Airlines for 2025 are: HK Express, Jetstar Group, Ryanair, easyJet, Frontier Airlines, AirAsia, Wizz Air, VietJet Air, Southwest Airlines, Volaris, flydubai, Norwegian, Vueling, Jet2, Sun Country Airlines, WestJet, JetBlue Airways, Air Arabia, IndiGo, Eurowings, Allegiant Air, Cebu Pacific, ZipAir, SKY Airline, Air Baltic.
Spirit Airlines, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November 2024, is a notable omission from the Top 25 Safest Low-Cost Airlines.
AirlineRatings.com's safety ratings not only reflect historical safety but also current operational excellence and financial health, which are critical for ongoing safe performance. The organisation has also introduced a flight booking platform that allows users to search for flights based on safety alongside price and duration.
Despite the advancements in aviation safety, it's worth remembering that the global death risk per flight boarding was approximately one in 13.7 million between 2018 and 2022. Incidents like the crash of JAL Flight 516 at Haneda Airport last year serve as a reminder of the importance of a highly skilled crew and adherence to procedures.
[1] AirlineRatings.com (2025). Top 25 Safest Full-Service Airlines. [online] Available at: https://www.airlineratings.com/ratings/full-service-airlines/ [Accessed 1 April 2025].
[2] AirlineRatings.com (2025). Top 25 Safest Low-Cost Airlines. [online] Available at: https://www.airlineratings.com/ratings/low-cost-airlines/ [Accessed 1 April 2025].
[4] World Health Organization (2023). Road safety facts. [online] Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/road-traffic-injuries [Accessed 1 April 2025].
- The comprehensive ranking of the Top 25 Safest Full-Service and Low-Cost Airlines by AirlineRatings.com for the year 2025 considers not only historical safety data but also financial stability and operational excellence, which are crucial for ongoing safe performance in the airline industry.
- The finance sector plays a significant role in the evaluation process of AirlineRatings.com's Top 25 Safest Full-Service and Low-Cost Airlines, as airlines' profitability and financial stability are among the key criteria considered in the assessment.
