The Essentials

2024’s Safest Airlines

Two tragic airline crashes last December made 2024 the deadliest year for commercial aviation in six years — the shooting down of the Azerbaijan passenger jet in Kazakhstan and the crash of the Jeju Air 737 in Korea.

So, which airlines are the safest in the world? Air New Zealand, Qantas, and Virgin Australia take the top three positions, followed by Gulf carriers Etihad, Qatar, and Emirates.

The airlines with the lowest safety ratings include Aeroflot and Rossiya from Russia, as well as Pakistan International Airlines and Montenegro Airlines. But let’s put this in context: Last year, 4.4 billion people flew safely, and only 318 people died.