Scoot named world’s 3rd safest low-cost airline in 2026 ranking

Scoot, the low-cost subsidiary of national carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA), placed third in a ranking ofthe World’s Safest Low-Cost Airlines for 2026 by AirlineRatings.com, an airline safety and product rating website.

- Sarah Stanley

Hong Kong budget carrier HK Express topped the list, followed by Jetstar Australia in second place. Scoot last made the list in 2023, when the top 25 safest low-cost carriers were listed but not ranked.

AirlineRatings.com has been releasing its World’s Safest Airlines ranking annually since 2014, and assessed 320 airlines for the 2026 list. Airlines operating fewer than 25 aircraft were excluded from consideration.

All airlines were evaluated with a range of criteria, including their rate of flight incidents, fleet age, fleet size, fatalities and compliance with international audits and standards by globally recognised aviation organisations such as the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

United Arab Emirates flag carrier Etihad Airways was named World’s Safest Full-Service Airline for 2026, while SIA came in 7th. SIA has made the list almost every year since 2014 — taking 13th place in 2024, 5th in 2023 and 4th in 2022.