The airplane is currently the safest means of transport in the world, with a much lower accident rate than other means of transport. Even so, if you want to know the world of aviation in depth, it is interesting to review the report prepared by Airline Ratings annually, which reviews the safest airlines in the world.
How the report on the safest airlines is done
For the report, the consulting firm does not focus on airline accidents, since they are very few, but rather on the different airline accident prevention matters.
Based on the study of the airlines’ progress in safety, innovation and the incorporation of new aircraft to their respective fleets, Airline Rating has created, from among 365 airlines, a top 20 of the safest airlines in the world.
The ranking of the safest airlines takes into account accidents in the last five years, serious incidents in the last two years, public and private audits and the age of the fleet.
According to the editor-in-chief of Airline Ratings, “All airlines have incidents every day, and many are aircraft or engine manufacturing problems, not airline operational problems. It is how the flight crew handles these incidents that determine a good airline from an unsafe one.”
The world’s safest airlines to fly in 2023
- Qantas (Australia).
- Air New Zealand (New Zelan).
- Etihad Airways (United Arab Emirates).
- Qatar Airways (Qatar).
- Singapore Airlines (Singapore).
- TAP Air Portugal (Portugal).
- Emirates (United Arab Emirates).
- Alaska Airlines (United States).
- EVA Air (Taiwan).
- Virgin Australia/Atlantic (Australia/United ingdom).
- Cathay Pacific Airways (Hong Kong).
- Hawaiian Airlines (United States).
- SAS (Sweden, Norway y Denmark).
- United Airlines (United States).
- Lufthansa/Swiss Group (Germany/Switzerland).
- Finnair (Finland).
- British Airways (United Kingdom).
- KLM (Netherlands).
- American Airlines (United States).
- Delta Air Lines (United States).
Top 3 safest airlines in the world
Qantas
The world’s safest airline in 2023 is Qantas. It is the largest and oldest Australian airline, as well as the third oldest airline in the world, after KLM and Colombia’s Avianca.
Qantas Airlines was founded on November 16, 1920 in Queensland, Australia. As of August 2022, the airline’s fleet consisted of 132 aircraft with an average age of 12.4 years.
Most of the flights operated by Qantas are within Oceania. However, it also operates flights to Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas.
Air New Zeland
In second position is Air New Zealand. The airline operates scheduled commercial flights to 22 domestic destinations and 26 international destinations in more than 15 countries on different continents.
Originally, in 1947, the airline consisted of a seaplane company called Tasman Empire Airways Limited that operated trans-Tasman flights between New Zealand and Australia. Later, in 1965, the New Zealand government became the owner of the airline and renamed it Air New Zealand.
As a curiosity, the airline underwent a rebranding to become “the airline of the midlands”. All planes had giant decals based on Peter Jackson’s famous trilogy.
Etihad Airways
In third position in the ranking of the safest airlines in 2023 we find Etihad Airways. The airline is the national secondary carrier of the United Arab Emirates.
Etihad Airways was founded in 2003 and, in early 2006, celebrated the launch of its 30th international destination. It currently serves 74 passenger and 5 cargo destinations on five different continents.
The airline’s fleet comprises 89 aircraft, with an average age of 7.1 years.