TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s EVA Air has been named one of the safest international airline companies in the world, taking sixth place in AirlineRatings.com's safest 20 for 2021.

The website has announced its top 20 safest airlines and 10 safest low-cost airlines for 2021 from among 385 airline companies worldwide. Owned by Evergreen Group and founded in 1989, EVA Air ranked sixth this year, down three spots from last year.

“EVA Air is grateful to passengers from all over the world and AirlineRatings.com for their recognition,” said the company via email on Tuesday (Jan. 5). “We will continue striving to provide the safest and most comfortable services to our customers,” it added.

The editor-in-chief of AirlineRatings.com, Geoffrey Thomas, said the carriers on the list have performed extraordinarily in the industry. “In fact, there is very little [difference] between the top 20, they are all standouts,” he said.

Australia's Qantas tops the list for the second consecutive year. Seven airlines that are based in the Asia-Pacific region have made it to the list, including Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, and Virgin Australia/Virgin Atlantic.

The list is based on criteria that consider each airline’s record of crashes and serious incidents, audits from aviation’s governing and industry bodies, government audits, industry-leading safety initiatives, and fleet age, according to the website. In light of the ongoing pandemic, companies’ COVID-19 measures were also taken into consideration for this year’s rankings.