AirlineRatings.com, a highly respected industry organization that rates the safety and in-flight products of 385 airlines around the world, has released results of its airline safety survey for 2021.
This year’s winner, not surprisingly, is Australian air carrier Qantas. As the world’s longest continuously operating airline having a 100-year history, Qantas has often been recognized as the leader in the development of navigation systems, real-time engine monitoring, and was instrumental in the development of flight data recorders that compile critical aircraft and flight crew performance information. Over the last 60 years Qantas has been either first or second to implement 16 crucial safety enhancements for the airline industry.
The 20 safest airlines according to AirlineRatings in numerical order based on their total safety scores are: Qantas, Qatar Airways, Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, EVA Air, Etihad Airways, Alaska Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, British Airways, Virgin Australia/Virgin Atlantic, Hawaiian Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, SAS, Finnair, Lufthansa, KLM and United Airlines. Ratings are calculated based on seven critieria including being industry safety leaders, innovation and the introduction of new aircraft (having a fleet that is considered young and modern).
AirlineRatings also named the top 10 safest low-cost airlines, making it clear that low-cost doesn’t necessarily correlate to lower safety. In alphabetical order these airlines are: Air Arabia, Allegiant, easyJet, Frontier Airlines, Jetstar Group, jetBlue, Ryanair, Vietjet, Westjet and Wizz.
Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Thomas noted, “All airlines have incidents every day and many are manufacture issues, not airline operation problems. It is the way the flight crew handles incidents that determines a good airline from an unsafe one.”
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