UAE carriers Etihad Airways, Emirates, flydubai ranked among world’s safest airlines for 2025

Dubai: Dubai’s Emirates has secured a joint third spot on the 2025 list of the world’s safest full-service airlines, sharing the position with Doha-based Qatar Airways and Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific. This is according to a recent survey from AirlineRatings.com - an airline safety and product rating website. UAE’s flag carrier Etihad Airways followed closely, ranking fifth, reinforcing the country’s stronghold in aviation safety.

The report also recognized flydubai and Air Arabia among the 25 safest low-cost carriers worldwide, cementing the UAE’s reputation as a hub for secure air travel across all segments.

New Zealand’s flag carrier, Air New Zealand, and Australia’s Qantas claimed the top two spots for full-service airlines, while Virgin Australia ranked fourth.

The website monitors a total of 385 full-service and budget carriers.

According to AirlineRatings.com CEO Sharon Petersen, “The three-way tie for third place was because we simply could not separate these airlines. From fleet age to pilot skill, safety practices, fleet size, and number of incidents, their scores were identical.”

Compared to last year’s list, some of the most significant changes include the inclusion of Iberia and Vietnam Airlines (which have made their list debut) and Korean Air’s rise into the top 10. Notable absences this year are Singapore Airlines and KLM. Sharon said that while these airlines remain exceptionally safe and retain their seven-star safety rating, they just narrowly missed out on a spot this year due to incidents that occurred.

AirlineRatings.com explained that the world’s safest airlines are determined through various measures, including serious incidents over the past two years, fleet age and size, incident rates, fatalities, profitability, IOSA certification, ICAO audit compliance, and pilot training. Factors like financial instability and fault in crashes automatically disqualify an airline, while how incidents are handled can enhance a safety profile, as seen in the JAL Flight 516 case.

Manufacturing issues also contribute to incidents, such as the recent cabin depressurization on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, which was attributed to Boeing’s quality control lapses.

From 2018–2022, the global death risk per flight was just one in 13.7 million, highlighting the relative safety of flying compared to road travel, which causes over 1.19 million deaths annually.

Top 25 full-service airlines for 2025 in order are:

Top 25 safest low-cost airlines for 2025 in order are: