What are the Safest Airlines?

To put it simply, air travel is very safe. Its even safer than driving your car!

While flying may seem daunting at first, it is actually considered one of the safest ways to travel, even more so than driving or getting public transport like a bus or train.

In comparison to other modes of transport, accidents are a fairly rare occurrence with major incidents being even less frequent. This is thanks to the near constant improvements in the aviation industry, including innovation in aircraft technologies, staff training, how modern aircraft are and more.

Who are the safest airlines?

According to airline review site AirlineRatings, the top 5 safest airlines are:

• Air New Zealand
• Qantas
• Cathay Pacific
• Qatar Airways
• Emirates

An airline safety rating is a score given to an airline that determines how safe they are to fly with. These ratings are generally carried out by industry experts, like AirlineRatings, with in-depth assessments that look into an airlines safety records. This takes into account:

• Airline accident history: This is a major factor that is assessed by looking at the airlines recent accidents and incidents. This is weighted heavy on the airlines safety score if there has been any recent incidents, especially in the last 10 years.
• Maintenance and upkeep: Things like inspection scheduals, maintenance frequency, and aircraft condition are considered as part of the overall rating.
• Government and international audits: Has the airline passed national e.g. Federal Aviation Authority, and international ICAO audits that also assess airline safety compliance, procedures, technologies, and practices.

By knowing how airline safety ratings are awarded, you will have a better understanding of how safe an airline is before you book. Handy, right?

Alaska Airlines

• Consistently rated high by airline safety raters, and is considered the safest US airline. A solid choice for domestic and international travel.
• Conducts enhanced internal audits of its aircrafts safety, as well as, rigorous safety protocols, which include an expanded focus on high risk component checks and real-time aircraft performance technologies.
• Renowned for maintaining high safety standards onboard, on the ground, and in emergency situations.

Hawaiian Airlines

• Rated as the second most safe airline in the US and among the top 20 safest airlines in the world.
• Never had a fatal accident despite flying for almost a hundred years, demonstrating its adherence to tried and tested safety standards.
• Fleet of state of the art aircraft equipped with state of the art technologies, including Airbus A330, A321neo, and Boeing 787.

Delta Air lines

• Rated as one of the worlds safest airlines by AirlineRatings and AirAdvisor
• Conducts routine audits of their safety management systems to ensure their aircraft remain safe at all times.
• Regular quality assurance audits at various locations to make sure ground crew services and aircraft maintenance is following high safety standards.

Qatar Airways 🇶🇦

• Ranked as the third safest airline in the world (joint with Emirates and Cathay Pacific), making it one of the safest carriers in the Middle East.
• State of the art fleet equipped with the latest onboard technologies and systems ranging from in-flight entertainment to weather and navigation systems.
• Holds a 5 star Skytrax rating. This rating is held by only 9 other airlines as is awarded on factors including the airlines safety.

Emirates 🇦🇪

• Is one of the top 3 safest airlines in the world (joint with Qatar Airways and Cathay Pacific). Is among the top 2 safest airlines in the Middle East.
• Operates one of the worlds youngest fleets, meaning their aircraft are modern and equipped with cutting edge flight systems.
• An industry leader in health and safety standards.

Etihad Airways 🇦🇪

• The 5th safest airline in the world and third safest carrier in the Middle East.
• Has maintained perfect IOSA audit scores since its initial certification in 2006, highlighting its high safety standards.
• Acknowledged for its culture of safety and use of cutting edge technologies, such as AI, to enhance safety by UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA)

According to AirlineRatings and other industry organisations, the top 10 safest low-cost airlines to fly with are:

1. HK Express 🇭🇰
2. Jetstar Group 🇦🇺
3. Ryanair 🇮🇪
4. easyJet 🇬🇧
5. Frontier Airlines 🇺🇸
6. AirAsia 🇲🇾
7. Wizz Air 🇭🇺
8. VietJet Air 🇻🇳
9. Southwest Airlines 🇺🇸
10. Volaris 🇲🇽

By now, we hope you are feeling more informed about which airlines are considered the safest when making your next booking! If you are still worried about flying, here are some debunked myths around safety when flying:

Is turbulence dangerous?

To put it simply, no turbulence is not dangerous. Modern aircraft are designed to be very robust and withstand even the most severe turbulence.

Pilots even go through specific training to deal with turbulence as part of getting their license! Want to avoid turbulence altogether, check out our turbulence flight routes guide.

What about engine failure?

Engine failure is not as dangerous as you think. Aircraft are designed to be able to fly safely on a single engine alone, meaning if engine failure does happen the plane can still operate.

On top of that aircraft are made with duplicates of critical components to ensure safe operations should an incident occur mid-flight.

Are older planes less safe?

Older planes are neither less or more safe than newer aircraft. Regardless of an aircrafts age there are stringent rules surrounding aircraft maintenance schedules. Meaning inspections, audits, and work to maintain a planes safety is carried out frequently, pre and post flight.