Cathay Pacific ranks second in 2026 airline safety awards; HK Express named top low-cost carrier

AirlineRatings.com ranks carriers using safety records, fleet age, pilot training, audits, and turbulence performance.

Cathay Pacific has been ranked second amongst the world’s safest full-service airlines in the 2026 annual list published by AirlineRatings.com, behind Etihad Airways and ahead of Qantas and Qatar Airways, according to the latest safety rankings.

The AirlineRatings.com assessment evaluates carriers based on incident records adjusted for flight volume, fleet age, serious incidents, pilot training, compliance with international safety audits and performance in turbulence prevention.

The 2026 ranking covers 320 airlines globally across full-service and low-cost categories. In the safety list, Cathay Pacific’s position reflects its performance relative to peers across multiple operational safety indicators.

In the low-cost category, HK Express was also named the world’s safest low-cost airline for the second consecutive year in related AirlineRatings.com results.

The AirlineRatings.com list is published annually and includes assessments of both full-service and low-cost carriers based on independent safety audits and industry benchmarks.