Flying ad hoc networks (FANETs) have emerged as a crucial component of modern aerial systems, enabling efficient performance for various applications such as military operations and disaster management. However, achieving sustainability in FANETs is challenging due to energy constraints and the high dynamic topology. This work aims to design a reliable clustering scheme by achieving a trade-off between the fast mobility of UAVs and the energy, safety, and stability requirements of the FANETs network. Safe and Energy-Oriented Clustering (ESOF) integrates a fuzzy logic system to optimize cluster formation by considering metrics such as residual energy, node mobility, and inter-node distance. This scheme prioritizes energy efficiency to reduce power consumption and prolong the network’s lifetime. In addition, the approach incorporates safety metrics to maintain stable communication links and minimize the risk of disconnections. Simulations results demonstrate that the proposed approach outperforms existing clustering methods in terms of energy consumption, packet delivery ratio, and network stability.