The ranking was compiled based on the monitoring and assessment of 320 airlines, reflecting their national flag carrier’s compliance with international safety standards and highlighting its the national flag carrier’s sustained improvements over the years.
AirlineRatings is one of the world’s most reputable organisations in evaluating aviation safety and quality, widely referenced by airlines and regulatory authorities worldwide. In the 2026 Top 25 safest full-service airlines, Viet Nam Airlines stands alongside many leading global carriers such as Emirates, Etihad, Singapore Airlines, and All Nippon Airways.
Most of AirlineRatings’ stringent assessment criteria have been applied consistently over many years, including the incident rate per total number of flights, fleet age, serious incidents, pilot training, and safety audits. This year, AirlineRatings placed greater emphasis on turbulence prevention, as turbulence remains the leading cause of in-flight injuries.
Viet Nam Airlines has proactively opened additional international routes to meet the growing travel demand of international visitors to Viet Nam and Vietnamese tourists travelling abroad.
Viet Nam Airlines currently uses advanced software for weather display, forecasting, and assessment to analyse multiple meteorological factors in combination with specific terrain characteristics. This enables the airline to determine appropriate operational plans and issue early warnings to pilots, thereby minimising the impact of turbulence on passenger safety during flights.
Sharon Petersen, Chief Executive Officer of AirlineRatings, said: “Viet Nam Airlines continues to improve its position, ranking 19th on our list of the world’s safest airlines for 2026. This reflects clear and consistent progress across multiple aspects, including fleet quality, safety systems, industry audit results, a very low incident rate, and operational stability, rather than being driven by a single factor.”
Viet Nam Airlines, the national flag carrier of Viet Nam, is a key force in air transport in Southeast Asia. The airline currently operates 107 routes to 22 domestic destinations and 37 international destinations across 21 countries. Viet Nam Airlines has affirmed its position on the global aviation map as the first Southeast Asian airline to join the SkyTeam Alliance in 2010. The airline operates one of Asia’s most modern and fuel-efficient fleets, including Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Airbus A350, Airbus A321, and Airbus A320neo aircraft.
