The world's major commercial airlines purchase AviationInsurance to protect them in the event of a major loss, such as acrash plane crash, malfunction, or mid-air collision. Whileinsurers mostly payout for smaller on-land claims, airlines stilltake necessary precautions to prevent any sort of catastrophicoccurrence.

Airlineratings.comrecently analyzed 425 airlines around the world, ranking them basedon their flight safety records, according to the second quarter2013 issue of Willis Airline Insight, a newsletter for theairline insurance industry from Willis Ltd., London.Airlineratings.com is a product of Australian aviation authorGeoffrey Thomas, whose rankings are based on two years of research,per Willis.

The website's 2012 ratings of the Top 10 Best Airlines can befound on the following pages. All but one of these top performershave experienced no losses since 1983.

10. British Airways

The British airline began its operations in 1919 and hassuffered just one loss since 1983. It's touted as the10^th-safest airline worldwide.

9. Virgin Australia

The Australian airline launched in 2000 and ranks as theninth-safest airline in the world. It has seen no losses in its12-year history.

8. Hainan Airlines

The Chinese airline has been operating since 1993 and has notseen a major loss in its 19 years. It ranks as the eighth-safestairline worldwide.

7. TAP Portugal

The Portuguese airline, started in 1946, ranks as seventh amongthe world's safest airlines. Its last accident was 30 yearsago.

6. EVA Air

The Taiwanese airline ranks sixth among the safest airlinesworldwide. Launched in 1991, it hasn't seen an accident in 21years.

5. Etihad Airways

Another airline of the Arab Emirates, the fifth-safest airlinelaunched in 2003 and has no logged accidents in its nine years ofoperation.

4. Emirates

The airline of the Arab Emirates was formed in 1985. Its lastloss was 27 years ago.

3. Cathay Pacific

The Hong Kong-based airline launched in 1946 and ranks third onthe Airlineratings.com list. It hasn't seen a loss in 30 years.

2. Air New Zealand

The second-safest airline per Airlineratings.com from NewZealand launched in 1940. Its last accident loss was 30 yearsago.

1. Finnair

The Finnish airline has been operating since 1924 and ranks asthe safest airline among 425 airlines rated worldwide, according toAirlineratings.com. The airline suffered its last mishap 30 yearsago.