Aegean Airlines has taken first place in the AirAdvisor European Airline Safety Index 2026, scoring 89 points out of 100. Ryanair came second with 86 points, followed by Austrian Airlines with 85.5.

The private index assessed 20 European airlines using data from 2016 to 2025. AirAdvisor says a lower position does not mean an airline is unsafe. The study is not an official ranking by the European Union or an aviation authority.

Three Low-Cost Airlines in the Top Five

Ryanair, Norwegian and SunExpress took second, fourth and fifth places respectively. Norwegian scored 85 points and SunExpress 84.5.

Ryanair ranked ahead of several traditional airlines, including Iberia, Lufthansa and KLM. AirAdvisor awarded the Irish carrier 38 points out of 40 for its safety record and 13 out of 15 for operational safety systems.

Iberia, Air France and British Airways shared sixth place with 83.5 points each. Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines tied for ninth with 83 points, while KLM placed 11th with 82.5.

Further down the table, easyJet ranked 12th with 82 points, Wizz Air 15th with 79.5, and Transavia 16th with 79.

Vueling placed 17th, Jet2.com 18th and SWISS 19th. Pegasus Airlines finished last with 64.5 points.

A Small Gap Between Airline Groups

The ten low-cost airlines assessed had an average overall score of 79.2 points. The ten traditional carriers averaged 82.8, a difference of 3.6 points on the 100-point scale.

The gap was smaller when comparing safety records alone. Low-cost carriers averaged 34.3 points out of 40, against 35.5 for traditional airlines.

Low-cost airlines scored higher on the fleet measure, which considers aircraft age and technical profile. They averaged 7.8 points out of 10, compared with 7.1 for traditional carriers.

How the Index Was Scored

AirAdvisor combined six measures covering airline safety and operations. Each contributed a different share of the final score:

  • Safety record: 40%.
  • Certifications and audits: 20%.
  • Operational safety: 15%.
  • Fleet age and technical profile: 10%.
  • Pilot training: 10%.
  • Financial stability: 5%.

Source: CNN Portugal: “Estudo elege as companhias aéreas mais seguras da Europa. O ranking pode surpreendê-lo”, published 6 Oct 2026.