Etihad Best Airline 2026: Top 25 Safest Airlines This Year

Global airline competition throughout 2026 is intensifying. AirlineRatings.com has released its list of the Top 25 Safest Full-Service Airlines and the 25 Safest Low-Cost Airlines for this year. This list is based on monitoring 320 global airlines.

The report serves as an important reference for travelers considering aspects of service, comfort, and especially flight safety. 

"What stands out this year is How close the competition is between airlines. Less than four points separate positions one to 14, and at the top it's even tighter, with just 1.3 points separating positions one to six in the full-service category," said AirlineRatings.com CEO Sharon Petersen.

According to Petersen, a tiered performance grouping system better reflects the actual conditions in the global aviation industry.

"All airlines in the Top 25 are world leaders in flight safety, and claims that one Airline is significantly safer or less safe than another are sensational and wrong," she said.

Etihad Best in 2026

Topping the 2026 list is Etihad Airways. The airline from the United Arab Emirates is the first Gulf carrier to achieve the number one ranking on the AirlineRatings.com list.

Etihad excelled thanks to its fleet age, enhanced cockpit safety standards particularly in turbulence handling, and an accident-Free record. 

Additionally, this airline's incident rate per flight is the lowest compared to other airlines on the list.

Compliance with independent safety audits was also a key factor, especially in cabin turbulence management.

Newcomers and Comeback

This year, two names caught attention: STARLUX Airlines and Fiji Airways. These two airlines entered the Top 25 list for the first time. 

Despite being relatively young, STARLUX is noted for its outstanding safety and transparency approach, even attracting attention from other major airlines.

Meanwhile, Singapore Airlines has returned to the list after being excluded in 2025 following a serious turbulence incident. 

After conducting visits to its safety and training center and in-depth discussions with the operational team, Singapore Airlines was deemed worthy of returning to the 2026 list.

For travelers seeking the best airlines in 2026, this list illustrates that safety factors are becoming more evenly distributed among the world's top airlines.

Top 25 Full-Service Airlines 2026
1. Etihad
2. Cathay Pacific
3. Qantas
4. Qatar
5. United Arab Emirates
6. Air New Zealand
7. Singapore Airlines
8. EVA Air
9. Virgin Australia
10. Korean Air
11. STARLUX
12. Turkish Airlines
13. Virgin Atlantic
14. ANA
15. Alaska Airlines
16. TAP Air Portugal
17. SAS
18. British Airways
19. Vietnam Airlines
20. Iberia
21. Lufthansa
22. Air Canada
23. Delta
24. American Airlines
25. Fiji Airways

Top 25 Safest Low-Cost Airlines 2026
1. HK Express
2. Jetstar Airways
3. Scoot
4. flydubai
5. EasyJet Group
6. Southwest Airlines
7. airBaltic
8. VietJet Air
9. Wizz Air Group
10. AirAsia
11. TUI UK
12. Vueling
13. Norwegian
14. JetBlue
15. FlyNAS
16. Cebu Pacific
17. Jet2
18. Ryanair (Ireland and UK)
19. Spring Airlines
20. Transavia Group
21. Eurowings Group
22. Volaris
23. WestJet Group
24. GOL
25. SKY Airlines Chile.