“Have a safe flight” may be more of a customary farewell than a genuine concern for the safety of modern air travel, but we've all had those mid-air onsets of hyperawareness that flying in a metal tube through the sky at 500 miles per hour is certainly no small feat (some of us more than most). While there are many details to worry about when planning a trip, one thing no traveler wants to be concerned with is whether the plane they’re flying on is safe.
To help ease the minds of anxious flyers everywhere, aviation site Airline Ratings publishes an annual ranking of the safest airlines in the world. The site’s aviation experts compare the safety credentials of nearly 400 airlines, examining 11 criteria, including serious safety incidents, recent fatal accidents, audits from aviation governing bodies, fleet age, and expert pilot training to calculate the top safest carriers. (Not included in the assessment are occurrences outside the airline’s control, such as bird strikes, weather diversions, turbulence injuries, or lightning impact.)
The safest airline in the world
In 2024, the title of safest airline in the world goes to—drumroll please—Air New Zealand. The kiwi carrier snagged the top spot thanks to its “firm focus on safety,” according to Geoffrey Thomas, editor-in-chief of Airline Ratings. The airline “has excelled across the broad safety spectrum never losing sight of the smallest detail,” Thomas said in a statement.
The carrier’s adept pilots also helped Air New Zealand secure the number one ranking. “The airline operates in some of the most challenging weather environments which test pilot skills,” said Thomas. “For instance, Wellington is one of the most windy airports in the world, while Queenstown is a huge navigation challenge.”
Air New Zealand edged out Australian carrier Qantas for the top spot by a mere 1.5 points, according to the report. Qantas held the number one ranking in 2023 and numerous other years.
The top 25 safest airlines in the world
Four US airlines made the list: Alaska Airlines (number 10), Hawaiian Airlines (21), American Airlines (22), and United Airlines (25).
If you plan on flying with an airline that’s ranked lower down on the list, don’t worry. “The safety margins between these top twenty-five airlines are very small,” Thomas said. In fact, the competition was so tight that the team decided to expand the list from 20 to 25 airlines for the first time. Here are the full rankings of the safest airlines in the world for 2024:
- Air New Zealand
- Qantas
- Virgin Australia
- Etihad Airways
- Qatar Airways
- Emirates
- All Nippon Airways
- Finnair
- Cathay Pacific Airways
- Alaska Airlines
- SAS
- Korean Air
- Singapore Airlines
- EVA Air
- British Airways
- Turkish Airlines
- TAP Air Portugal
- Lufthansa/Swiss Group
- KLM
- Japan Airlines
- Hawaiian Airlines
- American Airlines
- Air France
- Air Canada Group
- United Airlines
The 20 safest low-cost airlines
The report also includes a separate list of the safest low-cost carriers around the world. “These airlines all have an excellent safety culture and low incident rates,” Thomas said. Five budget carriers from the US were included in the top 20 safest low-cost carriers: Frontier (number 6), Southwest (9), Sun Country (14), Spirit (15), and JetBlue (17). But the lead ranking went to Australia’s Jetstar group.
Here are the top 20 safest low-cost airlines in the world for 2024:
- Jetstar
- EasyJet
- Ryanair
- Wizz Air
- Norwegian
- Frontier
- Vueling
- Vietjet
- Southwest
- Volaris
- Flydubai
- AirAsia Group
- Cebu Pacific
- Sun Country
- Spirit
- Westjet
- JetBlue
- Air Arabia
- Indigo
- Eurowings
