Qantas is once again the cream of the crop when it comes to safe airlines, according to a newly released index.
Safety, product and Covid-19 rating website AirlineRatings.com named Qantas the safest airline of 2023 after it dropped from first position in 2021 to seventh position in 2022.
Last year’s winner, Air New Zealand finished runner-up “by the finest of margins”, and was followed by Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines at the top of the rankings.
Air Arabia was named the world’s safest low-cost carrier for 2023, followed by AirAsia Group and Allegiant.
Analysing the performances of 385 carriers around the world, Airline Ratings considers a number of factors when judging safety, including “serious incidents, recent fatal accidents, audits from aviation’s governing and industry bodies, profitability, industry-leading safety initiatives, expert pilot training assessment and fleet age”.
Upon announcing Qantas as the safest airline, the website said, “the world’s oldest continuously operating airline has amassed an amazing record of firsts in operations and safety”.
Recent incidents prove that even the safest carriers can never rest when it comes to safety.
In late December, Qantas flight QF1 was travelling from Sydney to London via Singapore when it was forced to make an unscheduled landing in Baku, Azerbaijan due to a suspected faulty fire sensor in the cargo hold, the ABC reported.
Around the same time, poor weather forced the diversion of a Denpasar-bound Qantas plane to Jakarta, stranding Sydney-bound Aussies for 24 hours in Bali.
Last weekend, a Qantas plane headed for Manila was forced to return to Sydney mid-flight after an air traffic control malfunction caused a shutdown of air space in the Philippines.
THE TOP 20 SAFEST AIRLINES FOR 2023
Qantas, Air New Zealand, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, Emirates, Alaska Airlines, EVA Air, Virgin Australia/Atlantic, Cathay Pacific Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, SAS, United Airlines, Lufthansa/Swiss Group, Finnair, British Airways, KLM, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines.
TOP 20 SAFEST LOW-COST AIRLINES FOR 2023
Air Arabia, AirAsia Group, Allegiant, Air Baltic, easyjet, FlyDubai, Frontier, Jetstar Group, Jetblue, Indigo, Ryanair, Scoot, Southwest, Spicejet, Spirit, Vueling, Vietjet, Volaris, Westjet, and Wizz.
