Airlineratings.com reveal world’s safest airline
The world’s safest airline has been revealed with two major carriers running a tight race for the top spot.
Air New Zealand has been rated the safest airline in the world, closely followed by Qantas.
The two airlines battled it out in the prestigious Airlineratings.com rankings with just 1.50 points separating the two carriers.
Air NZ also won the title last year and in 2022, with Aussie airline Qantas nabbing the top spot in 2023.
Meanwhile, Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways and Emirates came equal third, while Virgin Australia nabbed fourth spot and Etihad Airways in fifth.
“It was extremely close again between Air New Zealand and Qantas for first place with only 1.50 points separating the two airlines,” AirlineRatings.com CEO Sharon Petersen said.
“While both airlines uphold the highest safety standards and pilot training, Air New Zealand continue to have a younger fleet than Qantas which separates the two.”
The watchdog monitors 385 airlines and takes into account serious incidents, recent fatal accidents, audits from aviation’s governing and industry bodies, profitability, safety initiatives, expert pilot training assessment and fleet age.
Qantas-owned Jetstar also took out second place in the ranking for safest low-cost airlines, behind Cathay Pacific-owned Hong Kong Express.
A Qantas Group spokesperson said both airlines were committed to safety as a top priority.
“Everyone at Qantas and Jetstar is incredibly proud of our commitment to safety, which will always be our number one priority. The whole aviation industry is focused on ensuring flying remains the safest way to travel through continual learning and improvement,” the spokesperson told news.com.au.
As part of Qantas Group’s historic fleet renewal program, Qantas and Jetstar will receive 20 new aircraft in 2025, including its first A321XLR, which is expected to arrive in Australia in April.
Meanwhile, Air NZ’s CEO Greg Foran said he’s delighted with topping the safety list again.
“I’m very proud of our entire Air New Zealand whānau for consistently and diligently putting safety at the forefront of everything we do,” he said in a statement to news.com.au.
“Operational integrity is at the heart of our business. We have a strong culture of safety that puts our team and passengers first. I’m proud of how this culture has been fostered over many years and how it underpins every aspect of the airline’s everyday operations.”
He said that 2024 presented its fair share of challenges and the accolade is particularly special “as it highlights how, even in tough times, Air New Zealanders continue to prioritise the safety of our people and passengers above all else.”
Ms Petersen told Forbes that Air NZ boasts an outstanding safety record, with no serious incidents or crashes in the modern jet era — and it also regularly operates in challenging conditions, including Queenstown, “one of the most demanding airports due to its high mountain ranges and strong downdrafts”.
She said as for the three-way tie for third place between Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, Emirates was because they “simply could not separate these airlines”.
“From fleet age to pilot skill, safety practices, fleet size, and number of incidents, their scores were identical.”
She said compared to last year’s list, some of the most significant changes include the inclusion of Iberia and Vietnam Airlines (which have made their list debut), as well as Korean Air’s rise into the top 10.
Notable absences this year are Singapore Airlines and KLM.
Ms Petersen emphasised that while these airlines remain exceptionally safe and retain their seven-star safety rating, they just narrowly missed out on a spot this year due to incidents that occurred.
In May 2024, a Singapore Airlines flight experienced extreme turbulence where a passenger died, while a KLM plane skidded off the runway in December.
How airlines are graded
Airlineratings.com explained that consultations with check pilots and aviation experts determine the world’s safest airlines on measures including, serious incidents over the past two years, fleet age and size, fatalities and profitability.
“It is essential to evaluate all these factors in the appropriate context. For instance, an airline operating only 100 aircraft experiencing three incidents raises greater concern than an airline with 800 aircraft experiencing six incidents,” it explains on its site.
“Additionally, financial instability within an airline can lead to significant operational challenges, automatically disqualifying it as a candidate. Similarly, any airline found at fault for a crash or failing its IOSA certification cannot be considered.”
It explained that another critical factor is how incidents are managed.
“While incidents occur daily across the aviation industry, the expertise of pilots and crew often determines whether an event remains an incident or escalates into a tragedy,” the site reads.
It said the January 2024 crash of JAL Flight 516 at Haneda Airport exemplifies this, “highlighting the importance of a highly skilled crew and adherence to procedures”.
“The crew applied their rigorous training effectively, and passengers followed safety protocols, including leaving hand luggage behind,” Airlineratings.com said.
How safe is flying?
An airline safety study published in August and co-authored by Arnold Barnett, a professor of statistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, found that between 2018 and 2022, the worldwide death risk per boarding was one in 13.7 million.
In comparison, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated 1.19 million fatalities from road accidents in 2023, equating to more than two deaths per minute.
“While these statistics underscore the relative safety of flying, the loss of over 200 lives in December 2024 alone significantly surpass the 72 fatalities recorded by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in 2023. Announcements such as the World’s Safest Airlines help passengers make informed choices,” Airlineratings.com said on its site.
The watchdog together with Skyscanner recently introduced the world’s first flight booking platform that allows users to search for flights based on safety alongside price and duration.
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