HONG KONG – As the winter holiday season approaches, millions of travelers—particularly from Europe—are once again seeking warmth under sunnier skies. Southeast Asia remains among the most popular destinations, appealing to solo adventurers and families alike. But amid rising airfares and crowded skies, travelers are increasingly weighing another factor alongside cost: airline safety.
A new assessment released by AirlineRatings.com, the world’s only airline safety and product rating website, offers a detailed look at which carriers stand out in 2025. From the 385 airlines it monitors globally, the site has identified the Top 25 Safest Full-Service Airlines and the Top 25 Safest Low-Cost Airlines—rankings that reflect not only past incidents but also fleet age, pilot training, and financial stability.
Air New Zealand Leads a Closely Fought Field
Topping the 2025 list of safest full-service airlines is Air New Zealand, narrowly edging out Australia’s Qantas. According to Sharon Petersen, chief executive of AirlineRatings.com, the margin between the two was just 1.5 points.
“Both airlines uphold the highest safety standards and pilot training,” Ms. Petersen said. “What separated them was fleet age—Air New Zealand continues to operate a younger fleet.”
The rankings also revealed a rare three-way tie for third place among Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, and Emirates. “We simply could not separate these airlines,” Ms. Petersen noted, citing identical scores across metrics ranging from fleet size to incident history.
Other notable performers in the top 10 include Virgin Australia, Etihad Airways, ANA, EVA Air, Korean Air, and Alaska Airlines. Korean Air’s climb into the top tier marked one of the most significant upward moves from last year.
At the same time, the absence of Singapore Airlines and KLM drew attention. Both carriers retain seven-star safety ratings, AirlineRatings said, but narrowly missed the cutoff due to recent incidents.
Low-Cost Airlines: HK Express Takes the Top Spot
In the low-cost category, Hong Kong-based HK Express claimed first place, reflecting what AirlineRatings described as a “relatively flawless” safety record and an absence of serious incidents.
The remainder of the top five includes Jetstar Group, Ryanair, easyJet, and Frontier Airlines, underscoring the growing maturity of safety standards among budget carriers. New entrants such as ZipAir, Jet2, and Air Baltic joined the list this year.
One conspicuous omission was Spirit Airlines, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November 2024. AirlineRatings emphasized that financial instability can pose operational risks significant enough to disqualify an airline from consideration.
How Safety Is Measured
The rankings are the result of consultations with check pilots and aviation experts and are based on a broad set of criteria. These include serious incidents over the past two years, fleet age and size, incident and fatality rates, profitability, IOSA certification, ICAO country audit results, and the quality of pilot training.
Context matters, AirlineRatings stressed. An airline operating a small fleet with multiple incidents raises greater concern than a much larger carrier with proportionally fewer events. Equally important is how incidents are handled.
The crash of Japan Airlines Flight 516 at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport last year was cited as an example. Despite the dramatic nature of the accident, the crew’s disciplined response and passengers’ adherence to safety procedures prevented a far worse outcome. In such cases, AirlineRatings said, strong performance can actually enhance an airline’s safety profile.
Flying Remains Exceptionally Safe
By the numbers, commercial aviation continues to be one of the safest modes of transport. A recent study found that between 2018 and 2022, the global risk of death per flight boarding was about one in 13.7 million. By contrast, the World Health Organization estimates that road accidents claimed 1.19 million lives worldwide in 2023.
Still, the aviation industry has not been without tragedy. More than 200 lives were lost in air accidents in December 2024 alone, far exceeding the 72 fatalities reported by the International Air Transport Association for all of 2023.
Booking Flights by Safety, Not Just Price
In response to growing consumer interest, AirlineRatings has partnered with Skyscanner to introduce what it calls the world’s first flight booking platform that allows travelers to search not only by price and duration, but also by safety ranking.
The tool, AirlineRatings said, is designed to give passengers greater confidence as global travel rebounds and competition intensifies.
As winter travel accelerates and aircraft cabins fill, the message from aviation experts is clear: while flying remains remarkably safe, informed choices can offer travelers an added measure of reassurance—before they ever leave the ground. (hz)