Since 2013, AirlineRatings.com has tracked and evaluated the top 385 airlines’ performance in terms of safety, in-flight product, and COVID compliance.
Experts use a number of metrics to identify the “safest” airlines, including:
- Number of collisions in the last five years
- Serious incidents in the last two years
- Internal audits of the industry
- The fleet of aircraft’s average age
- Evaluation of pilot training initiatives
- COVID guidelines
Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Thomas explained how “all airlines have incidents every day and many are aircraft or engine manufacture issues, not airline operational problems. It is the way the flight crew handles these incidents that determines a good airline from an unsafe one.”
5. Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines received another accolade from AirlineRatings last year. The airline was ranked the fifth-best airline in the world in July. Singapore Airlines was ranked by experts as one of the top airlines in the world, by experts after considering innovation, comfort, service and safety.
4. Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways is used to receiving accolades. The Middle Eastern airline is known for its first-rate business class and has won the title of “Airline of the Year at the World Airline Awards in seven of the last 12 years. With a minimum transit time of 12 hours and a flight on Qatar Airways, travelers can book a hotel for as little as $14 per night. Visitors can stay up to 4 nights without paying an additional fee when exploring the small country of Qatar.
3. Etihad Airways
In 2022, AirlineRatings ranked Etihad Airways, the second-largest airline in the United Arab Emirates (behind Emirates), as the third-best airline. The airline is often praised for going above and beyond. It was the first airline to immunize all its employees, and it has been praised for its creative ideas to reduce environmental impact.
2. Air New Zealand
Auckland-based Air New Zealand has moved down a position. They came in second place last year when AirlineRatings recognized them as the safest airline in the world. Los Angeles and San Francisco in the United States are two of the 18 nations that Air New Zealand flies to.
1. Qantas
The world’s safest airline is officially Qantas, the national airline of Australia. Since Qantas is the airline that has been running continuously for the longest period of time, it also has the most experience. They’ve benefitted greatly from their experience as there have been no fatal accidents for more over 70 years.
Other safest airlines include:
6. TAP Air Portugal
7. Emirates
8. Alaska Airlines
9. EVA Air
10. Virgin Australia
11. Atlantic
12. Cathay Pacific Airways
13. Hawaiian Airlines
14. SAS
15. United Airlines
16. Lufthansa/Swiss Group
17. Finnair, British Airways
18. KLM
19. American Airlines
20. Delta Air Lines