Overview

• Air New Zealand claimed the top position for the seventh time since 2013, edging out Qantas by just 1.50 points thanks to its younger average fleet and proactive safety protocols.
• Qantas dropped to second place after holding the number one spot in 2024 while maintaining an unblemished fatal-accident record in the jet era.
• Emirates, Cathay Pacific and Qatar Airways shared third place as each carrier demonstrated rigorous maintenance programmes and advanced crew training standards.
• Virgin Australia and Etihad Airways secured the fourth and fifth spots respectively, and the full top ten also included All Nippon Airways, EVA Air, Korean Air, Alaska Airlines and Turkish Airlines.
• The annual list was compiled using metrics covering crash and incident records, fleet age, third-party audits, safety protocols and pilot training standards.