The most recent incident was in 2008, when an Air New Zealand Airbus A320-200 crashed into the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of France. No passengers were on board, as the aircraft was being handed back to ANZ from the German company XL Airways after a period on lease. Seven crew were on board, two from XL, four from Air New Zealand and one representative of the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority. All seven lost their lives.
According to Planespotters.net, Air New Zealand has a fleet of 112 aircraft, ranging from its island-hopping ATR 72s up to its huge 777-300ER. Its average fleet age is 10.4 years, and its earnings have been good (although slightly stunted by ongoing engine issues ), all helping it to claim the number one safest airline spot for another year.
Long heralded as one of the safest airlines in the world, Qantas was just a point and a half behind its neighbor in the 2025 rankings. Qantas previously held the title of safest airline for seven years in a row (2012 – 2019) then again in 2021 and in 2023.
Qantas Boeing 787 special livery Photo Qantas It’s often claimed that Qantas has never had an aircraft crash, which is almost true. Qantas has never had a fatal jet accident, but given that it’s been around for 102 years, its pre-jet-era aircraft were just as prone to accidents as any other.
Most fatal accidents on Qantas planes happened in the 1920s and 30s and involved small biplanes. In the 1940s, several Qantas planes were shot down during the Second World War while assisting Allied forces. Two de Havilland DH.84 Dragons and one DHA-3 crashed in 1951, but since then there have been no recorded accidents with Qantas aircraft.
=3. Cathay Pacific
The three-way tie between Cathay, Qatar and Emirates just goes to show how closely aligned these airlines are. All three prioritize safety above all else and scored highly in the AirlineRatings ranking for 2025.
As the flag carrier and largest airline of Hong Kong, Cathay has a strong reputation worldwide for exemplary service. The airline has often been in the top 20 or even top 10 safest airlines, but jumping into third position for 2025 is an accolade it can be proud of.
Cathay Pacific Boeing 777 300ER Photo Cathay Pacific 1 Including its cargo division, Cathay operates 180 aircraft. Its narrowbodies are all Airbus A320 family aircraft, while widebodies are split between the A330, A350 and 777. On the cargo side, it operates a fleet of 20 747 freighters, although it also has orders in for the forthcoming A350F.
Although Cathay has seen some incidents in its history, it has had no hull loss or fatalities since 1972. That year saw its worst accident ever, when a Convair CV-880 heading back to Hong Kong from Bangkok was downed by a bomb in a passenger’s suitcase. All 81 occupants lost their lives.
Since then, only minor incidents have been recorded. Most recently, in September 2024 its Airbus A350-1000 suffered a fuel leak, leading to an engine fire. The plane landed safely with no casualties, although the airline briefly grounded its A350 fleet to inspect other engines.
=3. Qatar Airways
Based in Doha, Qatar Airways positions itself as the world’s most luxurious airline , and was voted the world’s best airline by Skytrax in 2024 for the eighth time.
Amazingly, Qatar Airways has never been responsible for a single fatality due to its flights. However, it’s important to remember that the airline has only been flying for 30 years, and aviation in that time has become much safer. Nevertheless, it’s a statistic to be proud of.
Qatar Airways Boeing 787 Photo Qatar Airways The airline has had two hull losses, however. The first was in 2007, when an Airbus A300 was destroyed in a fire at Gamco in Abu Dhabi. Investigations revealed the fire started onboard, and was probably caused by a spark or electrostatic discharge. The second, in 2017, also involved a fire. This time, an Airbus A321-200 was parked on a remote stand at Hamad International (DOH) when the satellite antenna caught fire, burning through the fuselage and damaging the cabin.
Qatar has often been in the top 10 safest airlines, coming in at number four last year. Securing bronze position, even if it is shared, is a testament to the airline’s attention to detail.
=3. Emirates
Celebrating its 40th year in the sky in 2025 , Emirates has secured its highest position ever in the safest airlines ranking. Frequently in the top 20, it climbed to seventh place last year and has continued to aim higher to claim the third place spot.
According to the Aviation Safety Network, only three accidents and incidents have been recorded for Emirates aircraft. Only one led to a hull loss and a fatality.
Emirates A380 Photo Emirates That incident occurred in August 2016, when a Boeing 777-300 impacted the runway during an attempted go-around in Dubai (DXB). Damage to the engine caused a fire, which ultimately led to a firefighter being fatally injured when the center fuel tank exploded. All 300 occupants were evacuated safely.
Well known as the world’s largest operator of the Airbus A380, Emirates is also the biggest operator of the 777. For the first time in many years, 2025 has seen a new addition to the fleet, with the Airbus A350 entering service on a route to Edinburgh on January 4, 2025.
6. Virgin Australia
From its early days in 2000 as ‘Virgin Blue,’ Virgin Australia today flies a fleet of almost 100 aircraft to dozens of Australian destinations. In its 25 years of operation, the airline has never lost an aircraft nor had a fatal accident.
VIrgin Australia Boeing 737 Photo Virgin Only four incidents are recorded in the Aviation Safety Network database. Three of these were ground collisions, while one involved a hard landing of an ATR-27.
In 2024, Virgin expanded its partnership with another of the safest airlines on this list – Qatar Airways. Having been allies for some time, the Doha-based airline stepped things up a gear by taking a 25% equity stake in Virgin Australia . This has enabled the partners to announce a record 10 daily connections between Doha and Australia , with Virgin wet-leasing Qatar’s Boeing 777s to make the trip.
7. Etihad
In the prime of its life, 21-year-old Etihad is the second largest airline in the UAE after Emirates. It has just shy of 100 aircraft and serves 86 destinations.
In its 21 years of operation, Etihad has never had a fatal accident or a hull loss. In fact, there’s not so much as a turbulence event to complain about with this carrier. Safety is clearly the number one priority.
Etihad Boeing 787 Photo Etihad Etihad did lose an aircraft though, although it wasn’t technically in the fleet. In November 2007, a brand new Airbus A340-600 that was due to be delivered to Etihad was destroyed in an accident at Airbus facilities in Toulouse. The un-chocked aircraft broke loose during an engine test, accelerating to 31 knots and smashing into a concrete barrier.
8. ANA
Founded in 1952, All Nippon Airways (ANA) has been connecting Japan to the world for over 70 years. With over 220 aircraft and 92 destinations, it is Japan’s largest airline and has a five-star rating from Skytrax.
ANA Airbus A380 Photo ANA ANA wins many awards, snapping up a great ranking in the most on-time airlines of 2024, as well as Best Airport Services and Best Airline Staff (Asia) in the Skytrax Awards 2024. It also got runner-up in Best Cabin Staff and Cleanest Airline at the same event.
Given its storied history, ANA has had its fair share of accidents, but none in modern history. Its most recent (and most deadly) accident was in July 1971, when a Boeing 727 collided with a F-86F on a training flight and crashed, killing all 162 occupants.
9. EVA Air
Taiwanese carrier EVA Air is one of the two largest airlines in the Republic of China. It operates passenger and cargo services to more than 50 destinations with its fleet of 84 aircraft.
EVA Air special livery Photo EVA Air Its average fleet age is just 8.9 years, and the airline has already lined up its future replacements for aging aircraft. The 777-300ERs will be replaced by incoming A350-1000s, while the A321-200s will be retired by 2032, to be replaced by A321neos.
In its 35-year history, EVA has never lost an aircraft or passenger. Four incidents are recorded in the Aviation Safety Network database – two hard landings, one ground collision with another aircraft and a 777 crashing into a light pole in Toronto in 2017.
10. Korean Air
Korean Air has come a long way to achieve a top 10 position for the world’s safest airlines. Once upon a time, the airline was notorious for an abysmal safety record, with President Kim Dae-jung describing it in 1999 as “an embarrassment to the nation”.
Markus Mainka Shutterstockcom Between 1970 and 1999, Korean Air lost 16 aircraft due to serious accidents and incidents, leading to the fatalities of more than 700 people.
Its most recent accident was recorded in October 2022, when an Airbus A330-300 was written off following a runway excursion. Four previous attempts had been made to land in Mactan-Cebu International Airport (CEB), and on the fifth attempt, the aircraft overran the runway and struck an ILS localizer array.
