The safest airlines of 2025 ranked: which ones fly to Russia?

Aviation industry analysts at Airline Ratings have published their annual ranking of the world's safest airlines for 2025. The review analysed data from 385 carriers, with the final list split into two categories: the 25 safest full-service airlines and the 25 safest budget airlines.

Leaders from the Asia-Pacific region

Companies from the Asia-Pacific region take the top spots in both lists. Air New Zealand and Qantas are competing for first place among full-service carriers, Cathay Pacific shares third place, and Virgin Australia ranks fourth. Among budget airlines, Hong Kong Express and the Jetstar Group top the ranking.

Fierce competition

"The race for first place between Air New Zealand and Qantas was extremely tight — the gap was just 1.5 points. While both airlines maintain the highest standards of safety and pilot training, Air New Zealand stands out with a younger fleet, which proved to be the deciding factor," said Airline Ratings CEO Sharon Petersen.

In an interview with Forbes, Petersen also noted that Air New Zealand has had no incidents in the modern jet era, highlighting the challenging conditions the airline often operates in. For example, Queenstown Airport is known for its difficult approaches due to high mountain ranges and strong downdrafts.

Petersen also mentioned the close contest for third place. "We couldn't single out one airline among Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, and Emirates. All three have identical results for fleet age, pilot qualifications, safety standards, fleet size, and incident numbers," she commented.

Winners and laggards compared with last year

Significant changes have taken place since 2023, note Airline Ratings experts. Iberia and Vietnam Airlines have made the full-service airline list for the first time. Meanwhile, Singapore Airlines and KLM failed to make the top 25, linked to "incidents," although both airlines retain a seven-star rating and remain "exceptionally safe," Petersen stressed.

Airlines flying to Russia

Of the 25 safest carriers, four airlines operate flights to Russia: Qatar Airways and Emirates, which share third place in the ranking, along with Etihad Airways (5th place) and Turkish Airlines (10th place).

Budget airlines were included in a separate ranking. Hong Kong Express was named the safest among them. However, only two companies on this list operate flights to Russia: flydubai, in 11th place, and Air Arabia, in 18th place.

What are the rankings based on?

To compile the ranking, Airline Ratings analyses a wide range of factors, including serious incidents and fatal accidents over the past two years, fleet age and size, certifications, pilot skills and training, and financial stability, which can affect flight safety.

Experts also consult with check pilots and aviation specialists, taking into account whether incidents were caused by airline errors or arose from less controllable factors, such as bird strikes or manufacturing defects. An example of the latter is the Alaska Airlines incident, in which a door plug failure caused a Boeing aircraft cabin to depressurise.

Ranking leaders

The full-service airline category includes leaders such as Air New Zealand, Qantas, Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Virgin Australia. Among budget carriers, Hong Kong Express, the Jetstar Group, and Ryanair lead the way.

The full list of winners can be found on the Airline Ratings website.