Qantas has been named as the airline offering the safest flights in 2020. — AFP pic

SYDNEY, Jan 2 — The Australian flag carrier is set to provide the safest flights on the planet in 2020, according to an evaluation published today by Airlineratings.com.

At a time when travel enthusiasts are already choosing destinations for beach vacations in 2020, an annual survey conducted by Airlineratings.com, which analysed the safety of 405 airlines around the world, has presented a ranking of the 20 safest companies with which to book flights. In evaluating risks, the specialist website took into account such factors as the age of airline fleets, audits undertaken by aviation industry professionals and companies’ track records of accidents and incidents.

When the scores were toted up, Qantas topped the list. The outcome does not come as a surprise, because this is not the first time that the Australian flag carrier has been placed first in this ranking, which, this year, also includes one of its local competitors, Virgin Australia.

In second place is Air New Zealand, notable for having been named Airline of the Year in November 2019.

Asian and Middle Eastern airlines share the next three places in the ranking, starting with Taiwan’s Eva Air followed by the United Arab Emirates’ Etihad and Qatar Airways.

Tap Portugal is the highest ranked European airline for safety in 2020.

As for low-cost carriers, Airlineratings.com cited Vueling, JetBlue and Wizz as the safest, but did not establish a ranking.

Here is the ranking of the 20 safest airlines to travel on in 2020:

1. Qantas

2. Air New Zealand

3. EVA Air

4. Etihad

5.Qatar Airways

6. Singapore Airlines

7. Emirates

8. Alaska Airlines

9. Cathay Pacific Airways

10. Virgin Australia

11. Hawaiian Airlines

12. Virgin Atlantic Airlines

13. TAP Portugal

14. SAS

15. Royal Jordanian

16. Swiss Air Lines

17. Finnair

18. Lufthansa

19. Aer Lingus

20. KLM — AFP-Relaxnews