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Image: Qantas

AirlineRatings.com has released its 2026 safety rankings, with Australia’s airlines once again proving that they’re among some of the safest in the world, with several locals earning top recognition. Curated through an in-depth analysis of more than 320 global carriers, the annual report highlights the Top 25 Safest Full-Service and Top 25 Safest Low-Cost Airlines, and this year, Australian names featured prominently across both lists.

Qantas secured one of the top spots in the world’s safest full-service airlines list. Virgin Australia joined them, also being recognised within the top 10. Over in the low-cost category, Jetstar Airways once again made the cut, finishing just short of the number one spot.

AirlineRatings.com CEO Sharon Petersen shared that this year’s rankings highlight just how closely matched the world’s safest airlines are. “What stands out this year is how little separates the leaders,” she said. “Less than four points covered positions one through 14, and at the very top, the margins were even tighter, with just 1.3 points separating positions one through six in the full service category.”

The methodology behind the rankings is rigorous. “Much of our criteria remains consistent year on year and considers incident rates adjusted for the total number of flights, fleet age, serious incidents, pilot training and international safety audits,” said Sharon. “One change for this year is that we are placing a greater emphasis on turbulence prevention, as it remains the leading cause of in-flight injuries. To support this, we consider an airline’s participation in the IATA Turbulence Aware programme or equivalent, as well as the Airline Ratings onboard safety audit. Transparency from airlines is also critical to this process.”

For Qantas in third, just behind Etihad and Cathay Pacific, and Virgin in ninth, these inclusions represent a commitment to continuous safety innovation. Plus, with Jetstar’s second-place position among the safest low-cost airlines, it shows that affordability and safety are not mutually exclusive.

The report also highlighted that the modern aviation landscape has shifted, with serious incidents now rare across the industry. Every airline featured in the Top 25 lists has experienced some form of incident in the past two years, ranging from tail strikes to engine shutdowns, but actual incident rates per flight remain low. Across the board, those rates range from just 0.002 to 0.09.

So for Australian travellers planning interstate or international trips, whether you’re flying full-service or budget, local airlines are operating at world-class safety levels, backed by skilled aircrew and advanced technology. At a time when millions of flights operate every year, Australia’s aviation industry is continuing to be among the best.

See the Rankings:

The top 25 full-service airlines for 2026

1. Etihad
2. Cathay Pacific
3. Qantas
4. Qatar
5. 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

The top 25 safest low-cost airlines for 2026

1. HK Express
2. Jetstar Airways
3. Scoot
4. flydubai (Now considered a full-service airline and will be assessed accordingly in future publications.)
5. EasyJet Group
6. Southwest
7. airBaltic
8. VietJet Air
9. Wizz Air Group
10. AirAsia Group
11. TUI UK
12. Vueling
13. Norwegian
14. JetBlue
15. FlyNAS
16. Cebu Pacific
17. Jet2
18. Ryanair Ireland and UK
19. Spring Airlines China
20. Transavia Group
21. Eurowings Group
22. Volaris
23. WestJet Group
24. GOL
25. SKY Airline Chile

To check out Airline Ratings and read the rest of the rankings, click here.

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