Australia’s national airline has narrowly missed out on the title of the world’s safest – losing to our across the ditch neighbours.

Airline safety and product rating website AirlineRatings.com has revealed the top 25 safest airlines to travel with in 2025 for both budget travellers and full-service seekers.

Airline Ratings chief executive Sharon Petersen said it was neck and neck in the race for first place between Qantas and Air New Zealand.

But recent Qantas incidents resulted in the Flying Kangaroo falling short of the main title.

“It was extremely close between Air New Zealand and Qantas for first place with only 1.50 points separating the two airlines,” she said.

“Qantas has had a couple of incidents recently, which ultimately made the difference.”

In 2024, Qantas flights experienced a number of mechanical issues, including on a flight to Geraldton where passengers reported texting their loved ones goodbye as they “thought they were going to die” as a result of the plane’s erratic descent.

In December, a Qantas flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Brisbane with a flight attendant crying out “heads down, stay down” as the plane prepared to land.

“The last month in aviation has been a stark reminder that tragic accidents, whilst extremely rare, can and do happen,” Ms Petersen said.

“AirlineRatings annual World’s Safest Airlines report aims to bring peace of mind to all travellers and help them make an informed choice.”

Third place was a three-way tie between Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways and Emirates

“We simply could not separate these airlines,” Mrs Petersen said.

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