With aviation incidents frequently in the news in recent weeks, concerns about the safety of flying have been on the rise.

If you are wondering just how safe your next flight might be, there’s a handy piece of research that will take the guesswork out of your booking.

AirlineRatings, an airline review site, has recently released its annual rankings of the world’s safest airlines. It lists out the top 25 carriers based on a multitude of factors to give passengers more confidence when they fly.

For 2025, the world’s safest airline was Air New Zealand for the second year in a row. The Kiwi airline often vies with its antipodean neighbour Qantas for the top spot, taking the crown in 2024 and 2022.

The first 11 places in the safest airlines ranking for 2025 are dominated by Asia-Pacific and Middle East airlines. But European airlines put in a good show too, taking seven of the top 25 places on the list.

Turkish Airlines, straddling the market between Europe and Asia, is the safest airline in Europe. It came 13th in the global rankings, earning a seven-star rating on the platform.

Despite operating to more destinations than any other airline in the world, Turkish hasn’t had a fatal accident since 2009, when a Boeing 737 crashed on approach to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. Nine people died as a result of the crash, but 126 survived.

Last year, Turkish Airlines also won awards for its catering and inflight entertainment and received a ‘World Class’ rating from the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX). It was named the ‘Best Airline In Europe’ by Skytrax.

TAP Portugal snagged 14th place in the rankings, making it the second-safest airline in Europe. It hasn’t lost a passenger since 1977 and regularly runs fear of flying courses in partnership with the Unidade de Cuidados Integrados de Saúde (UCS).

A flurry of European carriers made up the bottom half of the list. In order, they were SAS (16th), British Airways (17th), Iberia (18th), Finnair (19th) and the Lufthansa Group, which also includes SWISS (20th).

For Iberia, it has been a transformational year, winning accolades for the best on-time performance, best airline staff and outstanding catering. It’s the first time Iberia has made it onto the top 25 safest airlines list.

What are the safest low-cost airlines in Europe?

AirlineRatings assesses low-cost carriers separately from their full-service counterparts, and European airlines put in a great showing in the 2025 ranking.

Top of the list is behemoth low-cost airline Ryanair, which claimed 3rd place in the global ranking and was the safest budget airline in Europe. In its 40-year history, the airline has never had a fatal accident, and says it “continues to prioritise the safety and security of our people and customers above all else.”

Following closely behind was easyJet, a UK headquartered airline. It came 4th in the global rankings making it the second safest European low-cost airline. Like Ryanair, it hasn’t had a fatal accident in its 30 years of operations.

“We take our security and safety obligations very seriously,” says easyJet. “All our planes are checked prior to departure and undergo regular safety checks. Our cabin crew are trained to support you and ensure your comfort and safety at all times.”

Further down the list in 7th place globally, Wizz Air secured its place as the third safest low-cost airline in Europe. Again, being a relatively young airline, it has never lost a passenger and has a fleet of new Airbus aircraft averaging under five years old.

Also appearing in the top 25 safest low-cost airlines in the world were Norwegian (12th), Vueling (13th), Jet2 (14th), Eurowings (20th) and airBaltic just scraping in at 25th position.

Neither Jet2 nor airBaltic were in the top 25 in previous lists.

British leisure airline Jet2 pulled itself up the rankings with positive passenger reviews and excellent customer service. It is another fatality-free carrier, with very few even minor incidents reported.

For Latvian airline airBaltic, achieving a position among the 25 safest low-cost airlines was a proud moment.

“Safety is and always will remain our top priority at airBaltic,” says CEO Martin Gauss. “Our dedicated teams work tirelessly to ensure a safe and comfortable travel experience for our flight crew and passengers. Being recognised on such a global scale underscores our commitment to excellence.”

How are the safest airlines assessed?

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

Primarily, the publication studies specific attributes of each airline to determine their safety. These include the age of its aircraft, the number of planes it operates, the pilot training it provides and the rate of incidents reported.

Interestingly, AirlineRatings considers airline profitability, which may seem an unusual attribute to link to safety. However, airlines doing less well financially may be less inclined to invest in training, maintenance and improvements, theoretically lowering 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 nation and compliance with best practices.

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

Hotel pools in Greece could be filled with seawater this summer as the country’s parliament debates new legislation to tackle drought.

It proposes regulations for installing pipelines to pump seawater in and out of swimming pools at coastal hotels. The goal is to provide the option of saving water that could be used for other urban uses in areas that are facing shortages.

“This (legislation) regulates the framework for carrying out seawater extraction and pumping it for swimming pools,” Elena Rapti, a deputy minister of tourism told a parliament committee.

“The focus, of course, is to conserve water resources.”

Why does Greece need to save water?

Over the last two years, Greece has been suffering under acute drought conditions. The country has seen its annual rainfall decrease by around 12 per cent between 1971 and 2020 compared to 1901 to 1970, according to a recent study from the National Observatory of Athens.

The drought conditions show little sign of relenting and the upcoming tourism season will add further strain to resources – especially on islands that are popular holiday destinations. The Aegean Islands and Crete are some of the worst affected with a fifth of their rainfall having disappeared.

Last year, Greece attracted almost 33 million visitors, generating €28.5 billion in revenue.

Like a number of other European countries, tourists were targeted by overtourism protests in 2024 with Greek workers saying they were at breaking point. The climate crisis is also making the country’s tourism model increasingly unsustainable.

The government has come under increasing pressure to reimagine what tourism will look like in the future.

Hotels won’t be forced to fill their pools with seawater but the proposed regulations would make it easier for them to construct the infrastructure to do so if water usage restrictions are put in place.

Why are some people against the plan to save water?

The plan to conserve water has critics concerned about environmental damage from what might be pumped out back into the sea.

There are no quality standards for the discharge of water in the proposal – despite seawater pools still needing to be disinfected with chemicals.

Chlorine, commonly used to disinfect pools, is toxic to fish and other animals and the chlorinated saltwater discharge could upset the balance of the marine environment by altering salt levels, they say.

As well as this, the proposal fails to guarantee that sewage won’t end up in the water. Constructing the pipelines could also do damage to the seafloor.

Some also argue that the impact of pools on critical resources has been overstated with studies showing that on islands like Mykonos and Paros, pools consume just 6 per cent of available water.

As Europe shivers in the cold, its residents are dreaming of sunny getaways and foreign adventures. Not only dreaming but booking their 2025 breaks in record numbers, according to the travel industry.

January is often a busy month for travel bookings as holiday companies tout tempting deals to rival the high street’s New Year offers. But there’s one particular day that traditionally sees a flurry of bookings, and this year it was last Saturday.

Dubbed ‘Sunshine Saturday’ by British travel agents, the first Saturday after the first full week in January typically sees more bookings than any other day this month.

2025 has been no exception, with multiple travel companies logging record sales last weekend. Does that mean all the deals are already gone, or is there a better time to book your 2025 travel?

Record sales across multiple travel companies

Tour operator Hays Travel broke records on both Saturday and Sunday, with more than a third of bookings made by customers new to the company.

“People continue to prioritise their annual holiday and we are seeing a small upturn in average spend,” says Jonathon Woodall-Johnston, Hays Chief Operating Officer.

British self-catering provider Hoseasons had a booming weekend too, with lodge and park bookings up 19 per cent on Sunday 12 January. The only day with more sales in its history was the day the UK relaxed its COVID lockdown restrictions in 2021.

Its sister brand, cottages.com, also had a record day on Sunday. Bookings for spring breaks were up 25 per cent year-on-year, the company says, noting a high demand for properties with hot tubs.

Adventure travel is in demand too, with Dnata Travel Group’s adventure brand Incredible Journeys recording its best-ever day for calls and bookings.

Incredible Journeys said that, on Monday 13 January, they took 37 per cent more calls than the same day last year. Japan, up 80 per cent, was the fastest-growing destination booked, alongside Kenya and Sri Lanka.

In fact, across the Dnata Travel Group, which also includes Gold Medal, Pure Luxury and Cruise Plus, all the brands had a record-breaking start to the year.

“Our brands have seen a strong start to peaks,” said Simon Applebaum, Managing Director of Dnata Travel Group. “Our web sales are +40 per cent year on year which is really promising to see.”

Should you book your 2025 travel early?

UK travel company Barrhead Travel reported that, even in the first week of January, bookings had overtaken the demand they saw in 2024. Sales are mostly for summer 2025, although December is also selling well.

“January remains one of the best times to book a holiday as it’s the time of year where most operators, airlines and cruise lines offer significant savings and added value,” notes Jacqueline Dobson, President of Barrhead Travel.

“With demand for travel at an all-time high, booking early also means that you’re more likely to get your first choice of accommodation.”

Consumer company Which? stresses the importance of booking early too. Research published last year showed that a week-long holiday in Portugal would save around €200 when booked eight months in advance compared with two weeks out.

Holidays to Italy in the peak August weeks could be €165 per person cheaper eight months out, and Croatia attracted a €115 saving under the same rule.

When is the best time to book 2025 travel?

Package holiday seekers could benefit from this eight-month rule when booking for summer 2025.

Which? considered the price of some 24,000 package holidays, noting that “it’s no surprise that the biggest average savings, of the eight months we tracked prices for, were for bookings made in December or January.”

But there was an anomaly in the data, and it related to some of the most popular destinations in Europe. For the Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, mainland Spain and Turkey, a second booking window in May was shown to be even cheaper than early-year booking.

In Bulgaria and Cyprus, booking just weeks before departure was where the cheapest price point lay. Which? Explained this saying it was “probably because tour operators had overestimated the demand for these destinations.”

When it comes to unpackaged holidays, booking site Kayak has some advice on when to book, and when to stay.

For a city break, starting a hotel stay on a Sunday can be lucrative. The travel site’s data shows a 7 per cent saving over other days of the week. Fridays should be avoided, with average prices coming in 8 per cent higher.

Resort hotels and leisure stays benefit from midweek arrivals, with prices for a Tuesday up to 4 per cent cheaper than the average. Thursday is the most popular day to check in, commanding a 2 per cent price uptick as a result.

Flexibility pays, and leaving it until the last minute can unlock significant savings.

“Hotel pricing doesn’t favour planners,” says Kayak. “One reason is that hotels typically have a 24- to 48-hour cancellation window. When travellers cancel close to their date, the hotel would rather put heads in beds than leave the room empty.

Booking platform VRBO assessed booking trends in the holiday home market. It recommends booking in February, noting “By April, over 70 per cent of summer stays will be booked.”

It also recommended opting for a ‘shoulder season’ stay – the periods just outside the high season, where good weather can still be had but at a fraction of the cost. Longer stays can also attract a 10 per cent discount, says VRBO.

The site evaluated that, for the Easter holidays, the best time to book is 20 January, with bookings made no later than 3 March.

For summer holidays, booking on the 17 February is recommended, with bookings made no later than 28 April.

When to travel to avoid the crowds

Analysis by aviation intelligence company OAG found that, over the past 15 years, all the busiest air travel days have fallen between 20 July and mid-August (apart from the pandemic years).

In particular, peaks in air travel demand were seen on the second Friday in August, with the first Friday in August also a busy day.

Flying on a Friday in early August isn’t guaranteed to be busy, but travellers are more likely to encounter long queues at airports, and the risk of delays and cancellations runs higher.