In a year that saw record lows in airline passenger numbers and countless new health protocols for fliers that did board planes, safety on aircraft was no doubt top of mind for travelers throughout 2020.

“No review of aviation in 2020 can ignore the enormous impact that the COVID-19 crisis has had on the airline industry,” Dutch aviation safety organization TO70 wrote in a safety review, noting that retraining staff and reintegrating parked aircraft into fleets will need to be executed properly to eliminate ongoing safety concerns.

But the pandemic was not the only air safety hazard last year. There were five fatal passenger crashes in 2020 with a total of 299 fatalities, according to TO70

AirlineRatings.com editor-in-chief Geoffrey Thomas. “All airlines have incidents every day and many are aircraft manufacture issues, not airline operational problems,” Thomas said in a statement. “It is the way the flight crew handles incidents that determines a good airline from an unsafe one.” Also evaluated are the age of airlines’ fleets, number of passenger fatalities, and whether they have certain safety certifications from regulatory bodies around the globe.

The site (AirlineRatings.com) narrowed down 385 of the world’s airlines based on a variety of factors ranging from crashes and incidents to the age of an airline’s fleet. Airlines with younger fleets, for example, scored higher than those still utilizing older models.

Here are Top 10 Safest Airlines in the world 2021 according to AirlineRatings.com

10 – British Airways.

British Airways earned the number 10 spot on this year’s list after not making the list last year. Recent years have seen the airline adopt next-generation aircraft including the Airbus A320neo, Airbus A321neo, Airbus A350-1000XWB, and all three variants of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner

9 – Cathay Pacific Airways.

Cathay Pacific Airways earned the number nine spot this year, staying put from last year’s ranking. Protests in Hong Kong and the pandemic have hindered Cathay Pacific’s operation but recent years have seen the airline modernize its fleet by taking on new aircraft types like the Airbus A350 XWB family and A321neo

8 – Alaska Airlines.

Alaska Airlines once again earned the number eight spot, continuing the trend from last year as the highest-ranked US airline. Boeing aircraft currently dominate Alaska’s fleet but the airline does have one unique sub-fleet consisting of the Airbus A321neo, a next-generation version of the Airbus A321. The type was acquired in a merger with Virgin America and has plans to stay in the airline’s fleet while older Airbus jets are sold or retired.
Alaska will also soon fly the Boeing 737 Max as its first delivery is scheduled for this month. Flights are scheduled to begin in March 2021.

7 – Etihad Airways.

Etihad Airways earned the number seven spot in this year’s ranking, falling back three position places from the 2020 list. Boeing aircraft dominate the airline’s long-haul fleet with newer types like the 787 Dreamliner and 777-300ER outnumbering its Airbus jets.

6 – EVA Air.

EVA Air earned the number six spot this year, falling back three position places from last year. The Taiwanese flag carrier has retired its oldest and largest aircraft like the Boeing 747 in recent years while adding the Boeing 777-300ER, Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, and Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner.

5 – Emirates.

Emirates moved up to the number five spot in this year’s list after ranking seventh on last year’s.
The mega carrier’s all-wide-body fleet currently consists of the Boeing 777 and the Airbus A380.

4 – Singapore Airlines.

Singapore Airlines earned the number three spot this year, moving up from number six in 2020.
The Singaporean flag carrier frequently tops the list of the world’s longest flights and recently inaugurated a new non-stop route between New York City and Singapore using an Airbus A350-900XWB. With a range of 8,287 nautical miles, it narrowly beat out the Singapore-Newark route by just two nautical miles, despite having a shorter flight time in the Singapore-bound direction.

3 – Air New Zealand.

Air New Zealand earned the number three spot on this year’s list, falling behind by just one position place from last year’s ranking. Boeing aircraft dominate the airline’s long-haul fleet with newer types like the 787-9 Dreamliner and 777-300ER.

2 – Qatar Airways.

Qatar Airways earned the number two spot this year, beating out its UAE competitors Emirates and Etihad. In keeping up with rivals in the Middle East “big three”, Qatar has consistently acquired the latest and greatest aircraft from Airbus and Boeing.

1 – Qantas.

Qantas once again flies away with the top spot, earning the title of 2021’s safest airline. AirlineRatings noted Qantas’ stellar safety record of flying during the modern jet age with no fatal crashes.
The Australian flag carrier has been associated with safety for decades, with Dustin Hoffman’s character in “Rain Man” refusing to fly on any other airline.