LAHORE (Web Desk) – Airline travel is traditionally an extremely safe mode of transport and, despite everything, it is unlikely that you will ever be involved in a plane crash, let alone killed in one.
However, if you want to better your odds, then these are the airlines you want to book your flights with — airlines that, despite making millions of flights between them, have successfully minimized major accidents.
With 21 fatal accidents and 986 fatalities, 2014 was marred by some major commercial-aviation crashes. That said, flying is still one of the safest forms of transportation in the world.
According to Australian consumer-aviation website AirlineRatings.com, the airline industry transported 3.3 billion passengers on 27 million flights last year.
Airline Ratings released a list of the world’s 10 safest airlines selected from a pool of 449 carriers.
Interestingly, the carriers on the list hail exclusively from Asia, Australia, and Europe, with no carriers from the Americas and Africa making the cut. Airline Ratings didn’t list the final finishing order for places two to 10, but did crown a winner.
Air New Zealand has made a fine recovery after a period of financial turmoil in the early 2000s. This renaissance culminated with AirlineRatings.com recently naming it the best airline in the world. Air New Zealand has not suffered any significant incidents in the past couple of decades.
Singapore Airlines is universally lauded for its high-quality service and efficient operations. It is also Business Insider’s pick for the best airline in the world. The Changi Airport-based carrier has been accident-free since 2000.
As Finland’s national airline, Finnair doesn’t get as much attention in the media as some of its Scandinavian counterparts. But don’t discount the Helsinki-based carrier. It has one of the best safety records in the business and hasn’t suffered any major accidents since the 1960s.
British Airways is one of the biggest and most decorated airlines in Europe. Although it’s been in the news in recent years for a couple of incidents, the airline has suffered only one fatal crash — in 1976 — since its formation in 1974.
AirlineRatings.com recently awarded Cathay Pacific with the honor of best business-class accommodations in the world. As comfortable as its business-class service may be, the airline is just as competent in terms of safety. Outside of terrorist attacks, Cathay Pacific has not suffered a fatal accident since the 1960s.
Since its inception in 1985, Emirates Airlines has grown to become one of the biggest players in the industry. And in those 30 years, the airline has maintained a near-perfect safety record — not suffering a single fatal accident.
Like its Emirates neighbor, Abu Dhabi’s Etihad has maintained an unblemished safety record. It’s truly remarkable how quickly the decade-old airline has grown in scale and reputation.
Taiwan’s EVA Air was recently named the best long-haul airline in Asia by AirlineRatings.com. The airline has not suffered any major accidents since its founding in 1988.
Germany’s Lufthansa is a European-aviation juggernaut. In operation since 1955, the Frankfurt-based carrier was recently named Europe’s best long-haul airline by the website. It has not suffered any fatal accidents since 1993.
Finally, the winner is Australia’s Qantas. Qantas is the Volvo of the airline industry — a company whose reputation and mystique is built upon its clean safety record. This is for good reason. The 93-year-old airline has not had a fatal crash since 1951.
The article originally appeared on Business Insider.
