Ranking
Safest Airlines in Africa 2026
Every airline we cover whose home country is in Africa, from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt to Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Angola, South Africa and Mauritius. Scores combine the accident record over the last 20 years with the regulator, fleet, serious incidents and network. Open any airline for the data and sources behind its score.
Updated · Scores update with each page
The ranking
Air Mauritius
Air Mauritius has no fatal accident and no written-off aircraft in the records. Its long-haul fleet of A350-900s and A330-900s is among the most modern in Africa. It spent 17 months in voluntary administration from April 2020, and Mauritius publishes little oversight or investigation data.
Score 82, grade BRoyal Air Maroc
Royal Air Maroc has not lost an aircraft since 2003 or had a fatal accident since 1994, when investigators found the captain crashed an ATR 42 on purpose. It is IOSA-registered and Morocco holds FAA Category 1. Two runway incursions, at Marrakesh in 2023 and Casablanca in 2024, are the main recent concern.
Score 82, grade BAir Cairo
Air Cairo, the EgyptAir-owned airline behind many Red Sea holiday flights, has lost no aircraft and no passenger since 2003. It is IOSA-registered and flies mostly A320neos. A 2023 runway excursion at Hanover and two cabin-pressure losses in 2025 and 2026 hold its incident record back.
Score 81, grade BFlySafair
FlySafair, the low-cost brand of Safair, has never had a fatal accident or lost an aircraft. Its regulator, SACAA, is in FAA Category 1 and scored about 95% in a 2026 ICAO mission. Older 737s, a 2020 decompression traced to maintenance and a 2022 grounding keep it below the top tier.
Score 79, grade BASKY Airlines
ASKY, the Lomé airline run with Ethiopian Airlines, has had no fatal accident or hull loss on its own flights since 2010. It is IOSA-registered and half its fleet is new 737 MAX 8s. Thin public oversight in Togo and a Sahel network, where two of its jets were hit at Niamey in 2026, hold it back.
Score 77, grade BLIFT
LIFT, the South African domestic brand of the ACMI operator Global Airways, has had no accident since it began flying in December 2020. It is IOSA-registered and answers to SACAA, one of Africa's strongest regulators. Older A320s and an MD-82 written off in 2012 under the same certificate hold it back.
Score 77, grade BNouvelair
Nouvelair, Tunisia's private leisure airline, has not had a fatal accident or lost an aircraft since it began flying in 1990. It is IOSA-registered and flies freely to Europe. The weak spot is the last few years, above all a night approach at Nice in 2025 that passed over an easyJet jet on the wrong runway.
Score 77, grade BSouth African Airways
South African Airways has had no fatal accident since the Helderberg fire in 1987. It came out of a 17-month business rescue in April 2021 as a much smaller airline of about 20 aircraft. Its regulator scores well with ICAO, but serious incidents since 2021, two of them in a single storm in May 2026, cost points.
Score 77, grade BRwandAir
RwandAir has never had a fatal accident or written off an aircraft on its own certificate; the deadly 2009 Kigali crash was a wet-leased JetLink Express jet. It is IOSA-registered and Rwanda holds FAA Category 1, but two runway excursions in 2022 and second-hand A330s hold the score back.
Score 76, grade BKenya Airways
Kenya Airways' last fatal crash was KQ507, a 737-800 that went down after take-off from Douala in May 2007, killing all 114. It is IOSA-registered and Kenya holds FAA Category 1. Engine shortages grounded three 787s in 2026, and a 737 ran off the runway at Hargeisa in July 2026 without injuries.
Score 75, grade BTunisair Express
Tunisair Express, the regional arm of Tunisair, has had no accident in the last 20 years and flies newer ATR 72-600 turboprops. It is not IOSA-registered, little about it is published, and as Tuninter it lost an ATR off Palermo in 2005, killing 16, after mechanics fitted the wrong fuel gauge.
Score 75, grade BUganda Airlines
The relaunched Uganda Airlines has had no accident since it started flying in 2019, with a small, young fleet of CRJ900s and A330-800s. But it is not an IATA member, so we could not confirm an IOSA registration, Uganda is not on the FAA's assessment list, and seven years of thin public reporting is a short record.
Score 75, grade BTunisair
Tunisair has no fatal accident in its record and one aircraft written off in 20 years, an A320 that left the runway at Tunis in 2013. It is IOSA-registered and flies freely to Europe. Its problem is the fleet. Only 12 aircraft were in service in April 2026, many are old, and the shortage causes long delays.
Score 74, grade BAirlink
Airlink, South Africa's regional airline, has not had a passenger death. A Jetstream 41 crashed on a positioning flight at Durban in 2009 and its captain died, and an ERJ-135 was written off at George that year. Runway excursions in 2024 and 2025 and a low 2026 stadium fly-past that SACAA reviewed keep the score down.
Score 73, grade BAir Algérie
Air Algérie has had no fatal accident on a flight it operated itself in the last 20 years. The 2014 crash of AH5017 in Mali, which killed 116, was flown by Spain's Swiftair. It is IOSA-registered, but its fleet averages about 17 years and crew errors keep showing up in French and Algerian reports.
Score 72, grade BDomestic Airlines
Domestic Airlines is Air Algérie's domestic subsidiary, formerly Tassili Airlines, flying under Tassili's SF code and certificate. It has had no fatal accident in 20 years and is IOSA-registered. Repeated tyre failures in 2024 and 2025, two damaged aircraft and a network of Saharan airports hold it back.
Score 70, grade BEgyptAir
EgyptAir lost flight MS804 over the Mediterranean in May 2016 with all 66 people on board; Egypt and France still disagree on why. It is IOSA-registered, not on the EU Air Safety List, and Egypt holds FAA Category 1. New A350s, 787s and A320neos are replacing older jets, but little is published about its incidents.
Score 70, grade BRed Sea Airlines
Red Sea Airlines, an Egyptian charter airline part-owned by Kazakhstan's SCAT, has had no fatal accident since it began flying in 2022 and holds IOSA through IATA membership. Its four leased 737-800s average 17 years, and in 2023 Portugal's investigators said it did not report a depressurisation as EU rules require.
Score 70, grade BTAAG Angola Airlines
TAAG and a helicopter operator are the only Angolan airlines the EU lets fly to Europe; every other Angolan airline is banned. It is IOSA-registered and is adding new A220s and 787s. Its last fatal crash was in 2007, the year the EU first banned it. Depressurisations in 2018 and 2024 injured people on board.
Score 70, grade BEthiopian Airlines
Ethiopian is Africa's largest and most professional airline, with a young fleet, IOSA registration and a regulator rated well by ICAO. But it has had two crashes in 16 years in which everyone died, ET409 in 2010 and ET302 in 2019, and pilots fell asleep on an approach in 2022.
Score 68, grade CAir Peace
Air Peace, Nigeria's largest airline, has had no fatal accident since its first flight in 2014 and is IOSA-registered. Its weak point is crews pressing on with unstable approaches, as in a 2025 overrun after which both pilots tested positive for ethyl glucuronide, which NSIB says indicates recent alcohol consumption.
Score 64, grade CAir Tanzania
Air Tanzania flies one of Africa's youngest fleets, bought new since 2016, and has had no fatal accident since a 1984 training flight. But the EU banned it in December 2024 over safety concerns and then banned every Tanzanian airline in June 2025, citing weak national oversight.
Score 64, grade CPrecision Air
Precision Air, Tanzania's private regional airline, flies nine ATR turboprops. In 2022 one crashed into Lake Victoria at Bukoba, killing 19, after an unstabilised approach in a storm. The EU has banned all Tanzanian airlines since June 2025, and the airline is in financial trouble.
Score 52, grade D
Which airlines are on this list
The rule is the airline's home country, the country that issues its operating certificate and is home to its head office. Every African country counts, North Africa included, so Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia are here and not in the Middle East list. Brands that fly on another company's certificate count under that certificate: FlySafair is scored on the record of Safair, the South African company that operates it. Flights that an African airline sells but a foreign lessor flies, such as wet-leased jets, count on the lessor, not here.
How the order is built
Each airline is scored on five factors. The accident record carries 40%: fatal accidents and lost aircraft over the last 20 years, measured against how much the airline flies. Regulatory oversight counts for 20%, serious incidents and fleet for 15% each, and the network for 10%. The list is those scores sorted from the highest down, so when we update an airline page the order here moves with it. Factors and thresholds are on how we score airlines.
What the top African airlines have in common
Most airlines near the top have flown for many years without a fatal accident, are IOSAThe 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 and answer to a regulator with FAA FAA IASAThe US FAA's check of whether a country's aviation regulator meets ICAO standards. Category 1 means it does; Category 2 means it does not.More in the glossary status. Royal Air Maroc has not had a fatal accident since 1994, Air Mauritius, FlySafair and RwandAir never have.
The gaps come from single events and from the fleet. Kenya Airways carries the 2007 Douala crash in its 20-year window, EgyptAir the loss of MS804 in 2016, and Ethiopian two crashes. Tunisair and Air Algérie fly older fleets, and Tunisair had only 12 aircraft in service in April 2026.
Further down are airlines with weaker oversight. Air Tanzania flies one of Africa's youngest fleets, but the whole country is on the EU Air Safety ListThe European Commission's list of airlines banned or restricted from flying in EU airspace because they do not meet international safety standards.More in the glossary. Uganda Airlines has had no accident since its 2019 relaunch, but we could not confirm an IOSA registration, and Uganda is not on the FAA's assessment list. Air Peace has had no fatal accident since it began flying in 2014, but investigators keep finding crews pressing on with unstable approaches, as in a Runway excursionWhen an aircraft leaves the runway surface during take-off or landing, either off the end (an overrun) or off the side (a veer-off).More in the glossary at Port Harcourt in July 2025.
What the score does not tell you
A score describes the airline's record and safety system, not the airport you land at or the next flight. Many African networks include short runways, storms and long distances between alternate airports, which the network factor reflects. Domestic and charter operators we do not cover can have much weaker records than the national airline, so check the operating airline on your ticket. For a single trip, look up your flight number for the aircraft type and its own score, and see the world ranking to compare these airlines with the rest.
Questions
What is the safest airline in Africa?
The airline at the top of this list has the highest score we give any African airline right now. Several airlines sit close together near the top, so read them as a group rather than a strict order. Each airline page shows which factor separates them, usually a single accident or a run of serious incidents.
Is it safe to fly in Africa?
On the big airlines, yes. Almost every airline on this list is IOSAThe 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, and Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Morocco, Egypt and South Africa hold FAA FAA IASAThe US FAA's check of whether a country's aviation regulator meets ICAO standards. Category 1 means it does; Category 2 means it does not.More in the glossary. The risk is higher on small domestic and charter operators we do not cover, so check who operates your flight before you book.
Which African airlines are banned in the EU?
Of the airlines on this list, Air Tanzania and Precision Air are on the EU Air Safety ListThe European Commission's list of airlines banned or restricted from flying in EU airspace because they do not meet international safety standards.More in the glossary. The EU banned Air Tanzania in December 2024 and every Tanzanian airline in June 2025. Angola is a whole-country ban too, but TAAG is one of two Angolan operators the EU has exempted by name since April 2019.
Is Ethiopian Airlines safe after the 737 MAX crash?
Ethiopian is Africa's largest airline, with a young fleet, IOSAThe 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 and a regulator that ICAO rates well. But two crashes in which everyone on board died, ET409 off Beirut in 2010 and the 737 MAX crash ET302 in 2019, are inside our 20-year window and weigh on its accident record. Its page explains both.
Are South African airlines safe?
South Africa's regulator, SACAA, holds FAA FAA IASAThe US FAA's check of whether a country's aviation regulator meets ICAO standards. Category 1 means it does; Category 2 means it does not.More in the glossary and scored a preliminary 95% in a 2026 ICAO mission. South African Airways has had no fatal accident since 1987 and FlySafair never has. Airlink has had no passenger death, though a captain died on a positioning flight in 2009.
Is EgyptAir an African or a Middle Eastern airline?
Egypt lies in Africa, so EgyptAir is on this list and not in our Middle East ranking. Each airline appears in one region only.