These are the 20 safest airlines in the world

Swiss International Airlines Airbus A330-343X
Flickr/Aero Icarus

Despite some recent tragedies, air travel is still one of the safest forms of transportation around. According to Australian consumer-aviation website AirlineRatings.com, the world's airlines transported 3.6 billion passengers on 34 million flights in 2015.

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AirlineRatings.com recently released a list of the 20 safest airlines selected from a pool of 407 carriers around the world. To compile its list, the website evaluated each airline based on its standing with international regulators, its fatality record over the past 10 years, its result from an International Air Transport Association (IATA) safety audit, and whether its country of origin conforms with the International Civil Aviation Organization's eight-point safety parameter. All of the airlines on this list passed those tests with flying colors.

The carriers on the list hail from Asia, North America, Australia, and Europe, with no carriers from Africa and South America making the cut. This top-20 includes only mainline carriers. Low-cost carriers such as JetBlue, Virgin America, Norwegian, and EasyJet were considered for a separate ranking.

AirlineRatings.com didn't list the final finishing order for places two to 20, but did crown a winner.

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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 for the third year in a row. Air New Zealand has not suffered any significant incidents in the past couple of decades.

Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner Air New Zealand
AP

Singapore Airlines is universally lauded for its high-quality service and efficient operations. Skytrax named Singapore the second-best airline in the world. The Changi Airport-based carrier has been accident-free since 2000.

Airbus A380 Singapore Airlines
REUTERS/Jean Philippe Aries
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Finnair, Finland's national airline, 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.

FinnAir Airbus
Flickr/tsuna72

AirlineRatings.com recently named Cathay Pacific the best long-haul airline in the Asia-Pacific region. And as outstanding as its 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.

Cathay Pacific Plane
Ms. P/Flickr
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Since its inception in 1985, Emirates has grown to become one of the biggest players in the industry. And in more than 30 years, the airline has maintained a near-perfect safety record — not suffering a single fatal accident.

Emirates Airline's Airbus A380
REUTERS/Tobias Schwarz

Like its neighbor, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad has maintained an unblemished safety record. It's truly remarkable how quickly the decade-old airline has grown in scale and reputation.

Etihad Boeing 777 300ER_(5752076564)
Wikimedia Commons
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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.

EVA Air Hello Kitty Boeing 777-300ER
Flickr/Simon Boddy

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.

Lufthansa Airbus 340-600
Flickr/Paolo Cerutti
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It's called Alaska Airlines, but it's actually based in Seattle. The carrier is a mainstay on the West Coast of the US. Alaska recently made a major splash with the $2.6 billion acquisition of Virgin America. The airline has not suffered a fatal crash since 2000.

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737
AP

Founded in 1954, All Nippon Airways is well regarded for its consistent and high-quality service. Last year, Skytrax ranked All Nippon sixth on its best airlines in the world list. ANA has not had a fatal crash in more than 45 years.

All Nippon Airways ANA Boeing 788
AP
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Virgin Australia, the Australian off-shoot of Richard Branson's aviation empire, was founded in 1999 as a low-cost carrier called Virgin Blue. In 2011, the company switched to a traditional, full-service business model and was rebranded as Virgin Australia. The airline has no fatal crashes in its history.

Virgin Australia Airbus A330 200
Flickr/Aero Icarus
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Founded in 1929, Honolulu-based Hawaiian Airlines has been consistently regarded as one of the best in the US. Hawaiian currently boasts a fleet of more than 50 wide- and narrow-body airliners. Hawaiian has never experienced a fatal accident.

Hawaiian Airlines
Wikipedia

Source: Aviation Law News

Established in 1951, Japan Airlines has been Japan's national air carrier for more than 60 years. It has not had a fatal crash in more than 30 years.

Japan Airlines Boeing 787 8
Flickr/BriYYZ
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Founded in 1920, KLM is one of the oldest and most trusted names in the airline industry. Although KLM and Air France merged in 2004, the two airlines operate under separate brands. KLM has not had a fatality in almost 40 years.

KLM Boeing 747
Flickr/Franklin Heijnen

Formed in 1946, Scandinavian Airlines or SAS, currently serves as the national airline of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The airline's last fatal crash occurred in 2001.

Airbus A330 300 SAS Scandinavian airlines
Airbus
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Swiss International Air Lines was formed in 2002 from the remnants of the bankrupt Swissair. In 2007, the airline became part of Germany's Lufthansa Group. Swiss has suffered no fatalities in its history.

Swiss International Air Lines Airbus A330 200
Wikimedia Commons
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Crawley, England-based Virgin Atlantic is billionaire Richard Branson's original aviation venture. Since 2012, 49% of the carrier has been under the control of Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines. Virgin Atlantic has not suffered any fatal crashes in its history.

Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787 9
Boeing

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.

Qantas Airbus A380
Flickr/Christopher Neugebauer
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