Spanish airline ranks among world's 25 safest airlines for 2026
Spanish carrier Iberia comes in at number 20 while budget airline Vueling makes the low-cost safety list
Spanish travellers can take comfort in knowing that national carrier Iberia has been named one of the safest airlines in the world, according to the annual study by aviation safety platform Airline Ratings for 2026.
Iberia secured 20th place in the global rankings, which evaluates airlines based on fleet age, safety innovations, accident records and incident rates per flight. The study is released each year to help nervous flyers choose airlines with the best safety credentials for long-haul and international travel.
Top spot went to Etihad Airways, which earned the title of safest airline thanks to its young fleet and advances in cabin safety, particularly during turbulence. The UAE-based carrier also boasts an accident-free record and the lowest incident rate per flight of all airlines on the list.
Spanish budget carrier Vueling also made the rankings, appearing at number 11 on the separate list of safest low-cost airlines.
The study noted that while all airlines have experienced incidents in the last two years, including tail impacts, onboard fires and engine failures, the actual incident rate per flight ranges from just 0.002 to 0.09 across all carriers.
The 25 safest airlines in the world:
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. ANN
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 Airlines
Safest low-cost airlines:
1. HK Express
2. Jetstar Airways
3. Scoot
4. Flydubai
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. GOAL
25. SKY Airline Chile
Image: Freepik
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