Jet2

Is Jet2 safe?

Yes. Jet2.com has carried tens of millions of holidaymakers from the UK without a fatal accident or the loss of an aircraft, and in the year to March 2026 it flew 20.83 million passengers. It holds one certificate, from the UK Civil Aviation Authority. We score it 86. That is below easyJet and Ryanair mainly because Jet2 flies older aircraft.

What is the worst thing that has happened on a Jet2 flight?

Probably the landing at Funchal on 17 February 2014. Flight LS389 from Leeds Bradford was on a visual approach to runway 05 in gusty winds when windshear hit at about 50 feet. The Boeing 737-800 landed heavily, bounced, and struck its tail on the second touchdown at about 140 knots. The captain kept it on the runway. Nobody died and the aircraft was repaired. Funchal sits between mountains and the sea and requires special pilot training.

Other damaging events in the Aviation Safety Network's records:

• Paris CDG, July 2011. A 737-300 suffered violent vibration on landing and was damaged.
• Glasgow, October 2012. Smoke filled the cabin as a 737-800 began its take-off roll. The crew stopped and evacuated, and one passenger was seriously hurt in the evacuation.
• Alicante, April 2017. A Boeing 757 struck its tail on landing during a line training flight.

Before Jet2, its parent company flew cargo as Channel Express. One of its Fokker F27 freighters crashed approaching Guernsey in January 1999, killing both pilots. That was a different kind of flying 27 years ago, and it does not count in our 20-year accident window.

Which incidents should passengers know about?

The most serious was on 1 December 2021 at Kuusamo in Finnish Lapland. The UK's AAIB found that the crew left the engines at the 70% run-up setting instead of the 89% needed for take-off, because the take-off thrust button was not pressed. The 737 left the ground with 400 metres of runway remaining and climbed slowly until, at 250 feet, the pilots noticed and set full power. Nobody was hurt.

At East Midlands on 9 February 2020, during a storm, windshear cut the airspeed of a 737-800 near decision speed and the crosswind pushed it off line. The crew rejected the take-off after V1, the speed after which pilots are trained to keep going, and stopped 600 metres from the end. In 2014, also at East Midlands, smoke filled a 737-300's cabin after landing; the evacuation worked, but the PA system had failed.

Jet2 has also been on the receiving end. At Kraków on 2 January 2025, a Wizz Air A321neo landed on the runway while a Jet2 737 was taking off from it; Poland's investigators are looking at the case. In February and May 2026, a pilot fell ill in flight on two Jet2 A321neos, and both landed safely with the other pilot flying, as the two-pilot system is designed to do.

How old is the Jet2 fleet?

This is Jet2's weak point. It built its airline on second-hand Boeing 737s, and in 2026 most of its 139 aircraft are still 737-800s, with a few older 737-300s due to leave by the end of 2027. The last Boeing 757s retired in January 2025. Jet2 does not publish an average age.

Renewal is under way. At 31 March 2026 Jet2 had 24 new Airbus A321neos, and it expects 31 to fly in summer 2026, about 22% of the fleet. A further 155 are on order through 2035. An older aircraft is not unsafe if it is maintained properly, and the 737-800 has a long safe record, but older jets need more maintenance and lack some newer systems.

Tips for Jet2 passengers

• Funchal and winter routes can divert. If you are flying to Madeira or Lapland, a diversion for wind or snow is a safety decision. Pack essentials in your hand luggage.
• Check the operator on summer flights. If your Jet2 flight is wet-leased, the booking may show another airline's aircraft; that airline's UK certificate covers it.
• Keep your seat belt fastened when seated. In June 2026, a passenger on a Jet2 flight descending into Catania was seriously hurt in turbulence.

How we scored it

The accident record (93) is strong, and UK CAA oversight scores 86 because Jet2 is not IOSA-registeredIOSAThe IATA Operational Safety Audit, an international audit of an airline's safety management and operations. Every IATA member must pass it.More in the glossary as far as we can confirm. The fleet (72) is the lowest factor. Incidents (82) reflect the Kuusamo take-off. Compare British Airways, the other big UK airline.