Qatar Airways has a very good safety record. In its 28 years of operation, it has never had a fatal crash. Excluding events such as turbulence, there have been a few Qatar Airways accidents, but none of these resulted in injuries.
I have traveled on several flights on Qatar Airways between the UK and Asia, and each time I have never had any safety issues. Qatar Airways is generally regarded as a safe airline to fly with. I’ll explain why below. Hopefully, I’ll provide you with enough details so you can come to the same conclusion.
Modern Fleet Operated by Qatar Airways
The majority of the Boeing 777 and 787 Dreamliners, as well as the Airbus A319, A320, A321, A330, A350, and A380, make up Qatar Airways’ sizable expanded fleet of aircraft.
The average weighted age of the Qatar Airways fleet is 7.5 years, according to Airfleets.net. By weight, I mean that Airfleets.net computed the overall average fleet age by examining the average age and the quantity of each type of aircraft.
The table below shows the average age of each type of aircraft operated by Qatar Airways.
The different aircraft types show a wide variety of ages, with the oldest type being the A319s operated by Qatar Airways, with an average age of 18.6 years. However, Qatar Airlines’ fleet consists of just two A319s, both of which are said to be parked at the moment. The A350 and A380 aircraft types used by Qatar Airways are the newest.
| Aircraft | Number of Aircraft | Average Age |
| Airbus A319 | 2 | 18.6 |
| Airbus A320 | 29 | 9.6 |
| Airbus A321 | 2 | 11.4 |
| A330 | 17 | 14.0 |
| Airbus A350 | 53 | 4.0 |
| Airbus A380 | 4 | 4.9 |
| Boeing 777 | 85 | 7.7 |
| Boeing 787 | 37 | 6.6 |
| Total | 231 | 7.5 |
Compared to its rivals, Emirates and other major full-service airlines, have a youthful fleet, with an average age of 7.5 years.
For instance, the average fleet age of British Airways, Air France, United Airlines, and Lufthansa is 12.9, 10.5, and 13.5 years, respectively.
Qatar Airways Incidents and Accidents
Similar to many major airlines with a lengthy history of service and a sizable fleet, Qatar has not always maintained perfect safety records.
There weren’t many results from my search for incidents involving planes operated by Qatar Airways. Numerous mishaps, including bird hits, ground strikes, lightning strikes, turbulence, mechanical difficulties, and engine problems, have been reported. Also, just a few days before I wrote this piece, headlines broke when one of their 777F planes collided with an airfield lighting pole, seriously damaging its wings.
However, as the table below shows, I was only able to locate three incidences that are categorized as accidents, apart from severe turbulence events involving injuries to crew members or passengers. In two of these incidents, the airplane was not carrying any passengers because it was on the ground receiving repairs.
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Commentary |
| April 2007 | A300 | Abu Dhabi International Airport | The aircraft caught fire during maintenance and was damaged beyond economic repair. There were no injuries. |
| September 2015 | 777 | Miami International Airport | The aircraft overran the runway on take-off and struck runway lights, causing damage to the aircraft. There were no injuries |
| December 2017 | A321 | Doha International Airport | The aircraft caught fire during maintenance and was damaged beyond economic repair. There were no injuries. |
Qatar Airways is an Oneworld Alliance member and has IOSA certification
AirlineRatings.com has awarded Qatar Airways the maximum seven stars for safety; the rating is based on the following:
- IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) is accredited by Qatar Airways. This optional audit checks if an airline has the procedures and systems in place to run safely. Every two years, airlines undergo evaluations.
- Qatar Airways is not blacklisted in the European Union or the United States.
- In ICAO Country Audits, which review a country’s attitude toward aviation safety supervision and regulation, Qatar does well. The Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) ensures the safety of Qatar Airways. The results of the QCAA’s IATA Safety Audit are excellent, with successful implementation in the range of 75–100% for the eight categories assessed, far above the global average for all areas.
- In the past ten years, there have been no fatal accidents involving Qatar Airways. In reality, in its 28 years of flight, Qatar Airways has never experienced a deadly accident.
They placed 33rd out of 100 worldwide airlines in a 2021 rating by the Jet Airliner Crash Data Evaluation Center (JACDEC), with a risk index of 89.11%. To create this risk index, almost thirty distinct aviation safety factors were examined. The top-ranked airline, Emirates, had a score range of 94.75% for the 100 airlines, while Lion Air, ranked 100th, had a score range of 55.11%.
One of the three main airline alliances in the world, One World, has Atar Airways as a member. Being a part of a large airline alliance is a big support for the airline’s operations and safety philosophy, even if it’s not a safety certification in and of itself.
How safe is it to fly Qatar Airways?
It is, and in the 28 years of its existence, there have been a few occurrences but no deadly ones.
Qatar Airlines IATA and OSA approval supports the safety practices and procedures it follows. The first airline to receive a 100% compliance IOSA audit was Qatar Airways. The Qatari CAA, which performs better than average for the world in ICAO country audits, is also in charge of overseeing Qatar Airways.
Tens of millions of people are securely transported by Qatar Airways, one of the top airlines in the world. I believe it’s reasonable to conclude that flying with Qatar is safe based on these findings and this research.
