Top 10 Safest Airlines in the World for 2026: Etihad Leads, Asian Carriers Take Four Spots

ଦେଶ

Gujarat ରେ ରାଜନୈତିକ ତଣାତଣି: AAP ନେତା Isudan Gadhvi...

April 02, 2026

Amaravati କୁ ରାଜଧାନୀ କରିବା Bill ପାସ୍: Congress, BJP,...

April 01, 2026

ବାଣିଜ୍ୟିକ LPG ଦର ବୃଦ୍ଧି: ₹195.50 ବଢିଲା, ଭୁବନେଶ୍ୱରରେ ଦର...

April 01, 2026

ନର୍ଲା ବିଧାୟକଙ୍କ ସ୍ୱାମୀଙ୍କୁ ଆଗୁଆ ଜାମିନ ପାଇଁ ଓଡିଶା ହାଇକୋର୍ଟର...

March 31, 2026

ଆନ୍ତର୍ଜାତୀୟ

Deal ବିନା ଯୁଦ୍ଧ ଶେଷ ହେଲେ ବଢ଼ିପାରେ Iran ର...

April 02, 2026

Trump ଭାଷଣ ପରେ Iran ର missile attack: Israel...

April 02, 2026

Amid War Tensions, Odisha CM Mohan Majhi Reviews...

March 30, 2026

ଇରାନ୍ ଯୁଦ୍ଧରେ UAE ଯୋଗଦେବାକୁ ପାରେ? ତିବ୍ର ହେଉଛି ମଧ୍ୟପ୍ରାଚ୍ୟ...

March 28, 2026

Top 10 Safest Airlines in the World for 2026: Etihad Leads, Asian Carriers Take Four Spots

Top 10 safest airlines in the world for 2026: AirlineRatings.com has released its annual rankings, with Etihad Airways topping the list for the first time.

Published by Somesh | January 15, 2026

Global air traffic is expected to surge in 2026, with passenger numbers projected to reach 5.2 billion, according to the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) 2026 Global Outlook for Air Transport.

As aviation enters another busy year—driven by strong post-pandemic growth and a renewed focus on safety following several widely reported air incidents last year—the question of which airlines are the safest in the world has gained greater importance.

On Tuesday, aviation safety and product rating website AirlineRatings.com released its annual list of the world’s safest airlines for 2026. The rankings evaluated 320 airlines globally, identifying the top 25 safest full-service carriers and the top 25 safest low-cost airlines.

Etihad Airways emerged as the world’s safest airline for 2026, becoming the first Gulf carrier to top the list. Cathay Pacific secured second place, followed by Qantas — last year’s winner — Qatar Airways, and Emirates, rounding out the top five.

The 2026 rankings also reflect notable changes. Air New Zealand, which topped the list in 2025, slipped five positions to sixth place this year. Meanwhile, ANA (All Nippon Airways) dropped from eighth to 14th, falling out of the top 10.

Commenting on the results, AirlineRatings.com CEO Sharon Petersen said the gap between top-ranked airlines has narrowed significantly. “Less than four points separated positions one through 14, and at the very top, just 1.3 points separated the first six airlines in the full-service category,” she said. Petersen added that all airlines in the top 25 are global leaders in aviation safety and that ranking differences should not be overstated.

The rankings are based on consistent criteria used each year, including incident rates adjusted for total flights, fleet age, serious incidents, pilot training standards, and international safety audits, Petersen noted.