Air Arabia, flydubai and Wizz Air named in world's top 20 safest low-cost airlines

We'd all like to travel first class with lie-down flat beds and a butler service while 30,000 feet in the air, but for most of us, that simply isn't possible.

That's where low-cost airlines come in, making flying more affordable. But which are the best when it comes to safety?

AirlineRatings.com has revealed the top 20 safest low-cost airlines for 2022, extending its initial list of 10, in light of "industry and public requests".

Monitoring 385 airlines, it compiled the list using several factors, including incident records over the past two years, crash records over the past five years, results of audits conducted by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the governing body of aviation, EU-banned lists and fleet age.

The list is compiled alphabetically rather than in ranking order, such as with the top 20 list of safest airlines, which this year was topped by Air New Zealand and included both Etihad Airways and Emirates.

Air Arabia is included in this year's updated list, after narrowly missing out on a spot in the initial top 10 list, which was published in January.

The Sharjah airline received a seven-star safety rating in the rankings. The first low-cost carrier in the region has also recently extended to a hub in Abu Dhabi.

Geoffrey Thomas, editor-in-chief of AirlineRatings.com, previously said Air Arabia narrowly missed out on the top 10.

"Our judging is done over nine objective criteria and then a subjective pilot panel that looks at a range of technical issues with industry feedback.

Air Arabia is one of the world's top 20 safest low-cost airlines in 2022. Photo: Air Arabia

"The differences in ranking between the top 20 or so airlines is very fine and this year Air Arabia just slipped out of the top 10. The airline is certainly up there with the best."

Wizz Air, the Hungarian airline that recently launched Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, is also included in the list and has a seven-star safety rating.

Dubai's budget airline flydubai also made the cut in the extended list.

It received a four-star safety rating with top marks in every category except "fatality free" records owing to an incident in 2016 attributed to pilot error.

The top 20 safest low-cost airlines for 2022 are:

Air Arabia (UAE)

Air Asia Group (Malaysia)

Allegiant (America)

airBaltic (Latvia)

easyJet (UK)

flydubai (UAE)

Frontier Airlines (US)

Jetstar Group (Australia)

JetBlue (US)

IndiGo (India)

Ryanair (Ireland)

Scoot Airlines (Singapore)

Southwest Airlines (US)

SpiceJet (India)

Spirit Airlines (US)

Vueling (Spain)

VietJet Air (Vietnam)

Volaris (Mexico)

WestJet (Canada)

Wizz Air (Hungary)

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi recently marked its first year of operations, and announced that its new Airbus A321neo aircraft will fly to three new destinations from February: Nur-Sultan (Kazakhstan), Yerevan (Armenia) and Krasnodar (Russia).

The airline said late last year that it was working on regulatory approvals to start flights to the Indian subcontinent.

The original list of the top 10 airlines included Allegiant, easyJet, Frontier Airlines, Jetstar, JetBlue, Ryanair, VietJet Air, Volaris, WestJet, and Wizz Air.

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World's safest airlines 2022: Etihad Airways and Emirates among best

Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company

The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.

He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.

“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.

“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.

HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.

With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.

Timeline

2012-2015

The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East

May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence

December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan

August 2025

Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

October 2025

Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange

November 2025

180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE

While you're here

Khaled Al Qubaisi: Ties between India and the UAE will boost investor confidence

Rebecca Bundhun: Will India's new farm laws cause farmers economic pain?

Neil Murphy: Britain must ‘double down’ on post-Brexit ties with India

Rebecca Bundhun: India needs to address its unemployment crisis

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”