Amidst all the recent headlines about airline accidents overseas and some issues at home, it's easy to forget that commercial air travel is safer than ever.
Indeed, 2024 was the worst year for aviation safety since 2018. The main reason for this was the high number of deaths caused by certain accidents. Jeju Air Flight 737 crashed in Muan, South Korea on December 29, killing 179 of the 181 people on board. The accident is currently under investigation, and the high casualty rate is likely due to an unusual combination of factors, so experts caution against drawing blanket conclusions based on a single year. There is. Any analysis must consider a myriad of factors. In another fatal accident on Christmas Day, an Azerbaijan Airlines flight was reportedly shot down by Russian air defense systems over Kazakhstan. Amazingly, 29 of the 67 passengers and crew survived, but it still raised questions about the risks of commercial aircraft flying into conflict zones.
That said, thanks to significant improvements in technology and crew training over the years, fatal air accidents remain extremely rare (in many cases, such as TWA Flight 800 in 1996 and Air France Flight 447 in 2009). This was triggered by a serious accident).
Last year, there were 11 fatal aviation accidents on approximately 37 million flights around the world, resulting in a total of 318 deaths. This is an increase from 2023, the safest year to fly, when 72 people died in just one fatal turboprop crash. But it's still far fewer than the 556 people who died in a 2018 airliner crash.
And compared to driving, flying is by far the safer way to get from point A to point B. In 2024, approximately 34,000 people died in traffic accidents in the United States alone.
John Cox, CEO of aviation consulting firm Safety Operating Systems and a longtime pilot, said a strong culture of government oversight is essential when evaluating an airline's overall performance. speak “Choose your airline carefully,” he says. “Just because a fare is cheap doesn't mean it's the best choice.”
In fact, not all airlines or governments have the same high level of vigilance when it comes to safety measures. Compare airlines around the world for those who want to be sure they are flying the safest airline.
How to rank the world's safest airlines
Australian aviation safety and product review site AirlineRatings.com annually ranks the safest airlines based on a seven-point rating system. The company monitors 385 airlines around the world, and its methodology uses accidents that have occurred in the past five years, major incidents (with potentially catastrophic consequences) in the past two years, and public and private safety audits, age and other factors are taken into account. of the fleet. Each airline is rated on a scale of 1 to 7 “stars.” Airline rankings also take into account the number of passengers and sectors operated (per takeoff and landing), and tend to favor airlines that operate a higher proportion of long-haul flights.
In 2025, the world's safest airlines ranking will see Air New Zealand claiming the number one spot for the second year in a row, and Australian flag carrier Qantas (ranked number one seven times). The two companies are again at the top. The rankings are for the past 11 years, and the rankings date back to 2013). Five of the top 25 airlines are from the United States, and the rest are from Canada, Western Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. There is also a separate list of low-cost airlines, which this year includes five U.S. carriers, including JetBlue and Southwest.
Top 25 safest airlines in the world
Air New Zealand Qantas Cathay Pacific; Qatar Airways; Emirates (Tripartite Alliance) Virgin Australia Etihad Airways All Nippon Airways (ANA) EVA Air Korean Air Alaska Airlines Turkish Airlines TAP Portuguese Airlines Hawaiian Airlines American Airlines Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) British Airways Iberia Finnair Lufthansa/Swiss Japan Airlines (JAL) Air Canada Delta Vietnam Airlines United Airlines
Top 25 safest low-cost airlines
Hong Kong Express Jetstar Group Ryanair EasyJet Frontier Air Asia Wizz Air VietJet Air Southwest Airlines Volaris Fly Dubai Norwegian Vueling Jet 2 Sun Country Airlines West Jet Jet Blue Airways Air Arabia Indigo Eurowings Allegiant Air Cebu Pacific Zip Air SKY Airlines Air Baltic
So what does this mean for consumers? Representatives from airline rating agencies agree that when it comes to safety, the differences between airlines are negligible. After all, most of the world's major airlines, not just those in the top 25, typically receive a seven-star rating overall, and details such as the age of their fleet are included in the final list. influences where it is located.
And while this list tends to include most of the same airlines every year, this year there are two new airlines on the top 25 list: Iberia and Vietnam Airlines, and surprisingly, Singapore Airlines and KLM. Two companies, Royal Dutch Airlines, were not ranked. Airline Ratings CEO Sharon Petersen said the latter two “remain extremely safe and maintain a seven-star safety rating, but this year Unfortunately, due to severe turbulence and other accidents, we missed out on that spot.” airline.
Also, airlines can be excluded for a variety of reasons. For example, Spirit Airlines, which has a seven-star rating on the list of low-cost carriers, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November and was removed from the list of low-cost carriers. Aiming for fiscal reconstruction in 2024.
Consumers are encouraged to review each airline's rankings at airlinerateds.com/airlines to see where they rank and make informed decisions about the safety of their flights.
This article was originally published in November 2023 and updated on January 17, 2025 with current information.
