Ryanair named world's safest airline by travel expert Simon Calder

Simon Calder names 'safest airline in the world' – not Qantas or British Airways

Travel expert Simon Calder has named "the safest airline in the world" – and, contrary to popular belief, it is not a prestigious long-haul carrier like British Airways, Emirates, or Qantas. Instead, it is one of the UK and Ireland's busiest budget airlines, Ryanair, which carries 216 million passengers annually on around 3,800 daily flights.

Many recall the iconic scene from the 1988 film Rain Man, starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman, where Hoffman's character lists dates and locations of airline crashes. When Cruise says "all airlines have crashed at one time or another," Hoffman replies: "Qantas never crashed." For years, that scene reinforced Qantas's reputation as the world's safest airline. However, in a 2026 ranking by AirlineRatings.com, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways claimed the top spot for the first time, with Qantas third behind Cathay Pacific in second.

But Calder, who has provided travel advice for decades and is known as "the man who pays his way," named an airline that does not appear in the top 10. In an interview with The Telegraph, where he recently became a travel expert after years at The Independent, he stated: "It's a fantastic time to be a traveller. Ryanair, good old Ryanair: safest airline in the world."

This is not the first time Calder has made such a claim. In 2024, he reminded people of "the safest airline in the world by a mile," again naming Ryanair. He added: "And they only fly Boeing 737s, so there we are. They didn't get where they are by flying dangerous planes."

Ryanair's safety record

Ryanair has never experienced a fatal crash, though it has had minor incidents. In 2024, one of its aircraft suffered "significant damage" when it collided with an airport fence at London Stansted Airport while being towed by a driving instructor training a trainee. The aircraft was not flying, and there were no injuries among the 181 passengers onboard. Other minor incidents have involved pilots becoming unwell, leading to flight diversions.

Which airline is really the safest?

While Qantas has not had a fatal incident since 1951, it did experience several before then, during a far more dangerous era for aviation. Commercial pilot Patrick Smith, who runs the Ask The Pilot blog, explains: "Isn't it true that Qantas has never suffered a fatal accident? That's the myth, perpetuated far and wide – and which Qantas doesn't rush to dispel. The history of Qantas includes at least seven fatal incidents, all prior to 1951. Since then, the carrier has been perfect. So while the details aren't quite right, the gist stands: its record is outstanding."

Smith adds that determining the absolute safest airline is nearly impossible. "Considering how rare crashes are, such comparisons are an academic exercise. The nervous flyer tends to make distinctions in a purely statistical sense, but these aren't meaningful when a small number of incidents is spread over millions of departures. Why drive yourself crazy poring over fractions of a percentage?"

He also addresses concerns about budget carriers: "There is a longstanding suspicion that young, aggressive airlines cut corners. But that assertion isn't backed by the record. In the United States, a 25-year lookback reveals only a handful of fatal crashes, with accident rates proportional to market share."