ADVERTISEMENTWith aviation incidents frequently in the news in recent weeks, concerns about the safety of flying have been on the rise.
If you are wondering just how safe your next flight might be, there’s a handy piece of research that will take the guesswork out of your booking.
AirlineRatings, an airline review site, has recently released its annual rankings of the world’s safest airlines. It lists out the top 25 carriers based on a multitude of factors to give passengers more confidence when they fly.
For 2025, the world’s safest airline was Air New Zealand for the second year in a row. The Kiwi airline often vies with its antipodean neighbour Qantas for the top spot, taking the crown in 2024 and 2022.
The first 11 places in the safest airlines ranking for 2025 are dominated by Asia-Pacific and Middle East airlines. But European airlines put in a good show too, taking seven of the top 25 places on the list.
What are the safest airlines in Europe in 2025?
Turkish Airlines, straddling the market between Europe and Asia, is the safest airline in Europe. It came 13th in the global rankings, earning a seven-star rating on the platform.
Despite operating to more destinations than any other airline in the world, Turkish hasn’t had a fatal accident since 2009, when a Boeing 737 crashed on approach to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. Nine people died as a result of the crash, but 126 survived.
Last year, Turkish Airlines also won awards for its catering and inflight entertainment and received a ‘World Class’ rating from the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX). It was named the ‘Best Airline In Europe’ by Skytrax.
TAP Portugal snagged 14th place in the rankings, making it the second-safest airline in Europe. It hasn’t lost a passenger since 1977 and regularly runs fear of flying courses in partnership with the Unidade de Cuidados Integrados de Saúde (UCS).
A flurry of European carriers made up the bottom half of the list. In order, they were SAS (16th), British Airways (17th), Iberia (18th), Finnair (19th) and the Lufthansa Group, which also includes SWISS (20th).
For Iberia, it has been a transformational year, winning accolades for the best on-time performance, best airline staff and outstanding catering. It’s the first time Iberia has made it onto the top 25 safest airlines list.
What are the safest low-cost airlines in Europe?
AirlineRatings assesses low-cost carriers separately from their full-service counterparts, and European airlines put in a great showing in the 2025 ranking.
Top of the list is behemoth low-cost airline Ryanair, which claimed 3rd place in the global ranking and was the safest budget airline in Europe. In its 40-year history, the airline has never had a fatal accident, and says it “continues to prioritise the safety and security of our people and customers above all else.”
Following closely behind was easyJet, a UK headquartered airline. It came 4th in the global rankings making it the second safest European low-cost airline. Like Ryanair, it hasn’t had a fatal accident in its 30 years of operations.
“We take our security and safety obligations very seriously,” says easyJet. “All our planes are checked prior to departure and undergo regular safety checks. Our cabin crew are trained to support you and ensure your comfort and safety at all times.”
ADVERTISEMENTFurther down the list in 7th place globally, Wizz Air secured its place as the third safest low-cost airline in Europe. Again, being a relatively young airline, it has never lost a passenger and has a fleet of new Airbus aircraft averaging under five years old.
Also appearing in the top 25 safest low-cost airlines in the world were Norwegian (12th), Vueling (13th), Jet2 (14th), Eurowings (20th) and airBaltic just scraping in at 25th position.
Neither Jet2 nor airBaltic were in the top 25 in previous lists.
British leisure airline Jet2 pulled itself up the rankings with positive passenger reviews and excellent customer service. It is another fatality-free carrier, with very few even minor incidents reported.
ADVERTISEMENTFor Latvian airline airBaltic, achieving a position among the 25 safest low-cost airlines was a proud moment.
“Safety is and always will remain our top priority at airBaltic,” says CEO Martin Gauss. “Our dedicated teams work tirelessly to ensure a safe and comfortable travel experience for our flight crew and passengers. Being recognised on such a global scale underscores our commitment to excellence.”
How are the safest airlines assessed?
AirlineRatings grades airlines based on multiple data points, and complements its findings with consultations with pilots and aviation experts.
Primarily, the publication studies specific attributes of each airline to determine their safety. These include the age of its aircraft, the number of planes it operates, the pilot training it provides and the rate of incidents reported.
ADVERTISEMENTInterestingly, AirlineRatings considers airline profitability, which may seem an unusual attribute to link to safety. However, airlines doing less well financially may be less inclined to invest in training, maintenance and improvements, theoretically lowering their ability to remain safe.
The ranking also considers whether the airline is from a country that has passed the ICAO country audit, known as the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP). This audit allows ICAO to assess the implementation of safety oversight in the nation and compliance with best practices.
Finally, it considers whether the airline has passed the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), a global industry standard for airline operational safety auditing.