Ryanair ranks above British Airways and easyJet in new safety study
Budget airlines have taken three of the top five places in a new safety index of 20 European carriers, built […]
Three of Europe's top five budget airlines, including Ryanair, British Airways, and easyJet, rank above their peers in a new safety study, according to the European Airline Safety Index 2026. Greek carrier Aegean Airlines topped the list with a perfect score of 89 out of 100, followed closely by Ryanair at 86 and Austrian Airlines at 85.5. Norwegian and SunExpress rounded out the top five. Low-cost carriers dominated the top spots, with three of the five highest-scoring airlines being budget airlines.
The ranking, compiled by AirAdvisor, a company that assists passengers in claiming compensation for flight disruptions, considered various factors such as accident history, safety management systems, fleet age, and pilot training. While a low ranking doesn't necessarily indicate an unsafe airline, Jet2 and Vueling, which trailed the pack, may raise concerns among Spain-bound travelers. Anton Radchenko, CEO of AirAdvisor, emphasized that ticket prices do not correlate with safety levels.
The study analyzed 20 European airlines, half low-cost carriers and half traditional airlines, based on their flight volumes in 2025. Notably, companies like British Airways, SAS, and Eurowings had impeccable accident records but still didn't make it to the top five due to other factors. AirAdvisor clarified that the index is comparative and should not be taken as a definitive measure of an airline's safety.
The full category-by-category breakdown for each airline isn't publicly available, limiting the depth of the analysis.
Written by urgent.news from Euro Weekly News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
