AirlineRatings.com has announced its top ten safest airlines and top ten safest low cost airlines for 2015 from the 449 it monitors. The world’s only safety and product rating website, which was launched in June 2013 said top of the list again is Qantas, the Australian airliner which has a fatality free record in the jet era.

Making up the remainder of the top ten in alphabetical order are: Air New Zealand, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Emirates, Etihad Airways, EVA Air, Finnair, Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines.

AirlineRatings.com said its rating system takes into account a range of factors related to audits from aviation’s governing bodies such as the FAA and ICAO as well as government audits and the airline’s fatality record.

It said its top ten are always at the forefront of safety innovation and launching new planes and these airlines are a byword for excellence.

 

Top 10 low cost airlines

Equally, as a response to public interest, the AirlineRatings.com editors also identified their top ten safest low cost airlines.

They are in alphabetical order: Aer Lingus, Alaska Airlines, Icelandair, Jetblue, Jetstar,  Kulula.com, Monarch Airlines, Thomas Cook, TUI Fly and Westjet.

Unlike a number of low cost carriers, these airlines have all passed the stringent International Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) audit and have excellent safety records.

Of the 449 airlines surveyed 149 have the top seven-star safety ranking, but almost 50 have just three stars or less. Five airlines only achieved one star for safety from AirlineRatings.com. These are: Agni Air, Kam Air, Nepal Airlines, Scat and Tara Air.

In making their decision, AirlineRatings.com editors noted that over its 94-year history Qantas has amassed an extraordinary record of firsts in safety and operations and is now accepted as the world’s most experienced airline.

In 2008 in its successful defence to the British Advertising Standards Association of its claim that it is the world’s most experienced airline, Qantas was able to list almost 30 notable industry leading achievements.

The Australian airline has been a leader in: the development of the Future Air Navigation System; the Flight Data Recorder to monitor plane and later crew performance; automatic landings using Global Navigation Satellite System as well as precision approaches around mountains in cloud using RNP. (Story by AirlineRatings.com)