Where does Turkish Airlines rank among the most reliable airlines?

Fear of flying is one of the most prominent human phobias. A list has been published that may reassure those living in Turkey in this regard.

According to a report by Euronews, Turkish Airlines (THY) ranked 13th globally while taking the top spot in Europe.

AirlineRatings, an airline review site, recently published its annual ranking of the world's safest airlines.

For 2025, Air New Zealand has been named the world's safest airline for the second consecutive year. The Kiwi airline frequently competes with Qantas for the top spot, having taken the crown in 2024 and 2022.

The top 11 spots in the 2025 safest airlines ranking are dominated by Asia-Pacific and Middle Eastern carriers. However, European airlines also performed well, occupying seven of the top 25 spots on the list.

Turkish Airlines (THY), which operates in the market between Europe and Asia, has become Europe's safest airline. THY, which received seven stars on the platform, ranked 13th in the global standings.

THY, which flies to more destinations than any other airline in the world, has not had a fatal accident since 2009, when a Boeing 737 in its fleet crashed while approaching Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. Nine people lost their lives in the accident, while 126 people survived.

Last year, Turkish Airlines also won awards in catering services and in-flight entertainment, and received a 'World Class' rating from the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX). It was also named 'Best Airline in Europe' by Skytrax.

TAP Portugal ranked 14th, becoming the second safest airline in Europe. TAP has not lost a single passenger since 1977 and regularly organizes fear-of-flying courses in partnership with the Unidade de Cuidados Integrados de Saúde (UCS).

The rest of the list included a number of European airlines. These were, in order, SAS (16th), British Airways (17th), Iberia (18th), Finnair (19th), and the Lufthansa Group (20th), which also includes SWISS.

For Iberia, this year has been transformational, winning awards for best on-time performance, best airline staff, and superior catering services. Iberia managed to enter the list of the 25 safest airlines for the first time.

HOW ARE THE SAFEST AIRLINES EVALUATED?

AirlineRatings rates airlines based on multiple data points and complements its findings with consultations with pilots and aviation experts.

The publication primarily examines specific characteristics of each airline to determine their safety. These include the age of their aircraft, the number of aircraft operated, the pilot training provided, and the rate of reported incidents.

Interestingly, AirlineRatings also takes into account the profitability of airlines, which may seem like an unusual feature to associate with safety. However, airlines that are less financially stable may tend to invest less in training, maintenance, and improvements, which could theoretically reduce their ability to remain safe.

The ranking also considers whether the airline is from a country that has passed the ICAO country audit known as the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP). This audit allows ICAO to assess the implementation of safety oversight in the country and compliance with best practices.

Finally, it is evaluated whether the airline has passed the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), which is a global industry standard for airline operational safety auditing.