You will agree with us that commercial aviation is one of the safest forms of travel. However, one still needs to consider airline safety, as it’s one of those things you don’t want to worry about when traveling. While there are many airlines in the world today, some are still better performing than others when it comes to operational safety. All thanks to AirlineRatings.com, we have gotten the list of the top 10 best airlines in the world 2020.
Talking of AirlineRatings.com, it’s an Australia-based aviation analysis website, which performs the annual Airline Excellence Awards. The agency has seven editors, who consider 12 key factors, before deciding the best airlines for a particular year. Some of the factors include operational safety, profitability, passenger reviews, fleet age, and investment ratings.
According to AirlineRatings editor-in-chief Geoffrey Thomas, Air New Zealand is the best airline in the world in 2020. Here’s what Thomas said after the annual Airline Excellence Awards.
“In our analysis, Air New Zealand came out number one in most of our audit criteria, which is an outstanding performance when it’s up against carriers with more resources and scale on this same list of best airlines for 2020.”
Here’s The List Of Top 10 Best Airlines In The World 2020
1- Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand, founded on 26 April 1940, is currently the first on the list of top 10 best airlines in the world. The Auckland-based airline has always claimed the overall top spot for six of the last seven years. It lost the top spot last year to Singapore Airlines, which is now on the second spot in 2020.
Air New Zealand won the Best Premium Economy award, in this year’s annual Airline Excellence Awards.
2- Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines (SIA) commenced its operation in October 1972. And ever since then, it’s become the flag carrier airline of Singapore. Over the years, SIA has grown to become one of the best airlines in the world, with its hub at Singapore Changi Airport.
Last year, it was the best airline in the world, beating Air New Zealand for the first time in six years. This year, however, it’s slightly slipped, becoming the second on the list of top 10 best airlines in the world. Singapore Airlines won the Best First Class award recently.
3- All Nippon Airways
All Nippon Airways, also known as Zennikkū, is the largest and best airline in Japan. It has its headquarters located in Shiodome City Center in Minato ward, Tokyo.
Talking about its operation, the airline operates its services to both domestic and international destinations.
4- Qantas
Qantas, founded in 1920, is one of the oldest airlines in the world today. Over the years, the Queensland-based airline has grown to become one of the best and largest airlines in Australia.
Overall, Qantas is currently the fourth on Forbes list of top 10 best airlines in the world. However, it won the awards for the Best Lounges and Domestic Airline of 2020.
5- Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific, based in Hong Kong, was founded in 1946 by two ex-Air Force Pilots, Roy Farrell and Sydney de Kantzow. It operates its services to 190 destinations in more than 60 countries.
According to Forbes, despite facing social unrest in its hub of Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific still manages to sit on the fifth position on the overall list of top 10 best airlines in the world. It recently won the award for the Best Long-Haul Airline in Asia.
6- Emirates
Emirates, founded in 1985, is the best national carrier of the emirate of Dubai, UAE. It’s considered one of the safest airlines in the world, as it has only one hull-loss accident in its 35 years of existence.
Currently, Emirates sits at the sixth position in the overall list of the top 10 best airlines in the world. However, it was able to claim the top spot in some individual awards, including Best In-Flight Entertainment and Best Long-Haul Airline (Middle East/Africa).
7- Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic, established in 1984, is a British airline with its headquarters located in Crawley, England. It makes use of a mixed fleet of Airbus and Boeing wide-body aircraft. Also, it operates its services to different destinations, including Africa, the Middle East, North America, the Caribbean, and Asia.
Virgin Atlantic is currently the seventh on the overall list of the top 10 best airlines in the world.
8- EVA Air
EVA Air, founded in 1988, is considered as the second-largest airline in Taiwan. It’s a privately owned carrier, which operates its services to more than 40 international destinations, across 4 continents. Currently, its the eighth best airline in the world.
9- Qatar Airways
Launched in 1997, Qatar Airways has proven itself to be one of the best airlines in the world, earning a 5-star rating by Skytrax. It offers its services to 150 international destinations, across Africa, Europe, South Asia, Central Asia, North & South America, and many more.
Currently, it sits on the ninth position on the overall list of the top 10 best airlines in the world. However, it was able to win some individual awards, including Best Business Class, and Best Catering.
10- Virgin Australia
Virgin Australia was initially launched in 1999 and called the Virgin Blue, a low-cost carrier. In 2012, the Virgin Blue rebranded to a full-service airline, which is now called Virgin Australia.
In Australia, the airline is the second-largest, operating its services to more than 450 international destinations and 40 domestic destinations. It’s currently the tenth on the list of world’s best airlines in 2020. However, it was able to claim a few individual awards this year, including Best Economy and Best Cabin Crew.
