World's Safest Airlines

Finnair is the safest airline in the world and Air New Zealand comes second. Both airlines are understandably delighted at the rankings, released yesterday by Europe’s Jet Airliner Crash Data Evaluation Centre (JACDEC).

The annual JACDEC Safety Index, which recognises safety in the aviation industry, is compiled through the collection and analysis of safety occurrences from airlines around the world. JACDEC, based in Germany, calculates its Safety Index ratings, which rank 60 airlines, by taking hull loss accidents (major accidents in which the aircraft is destroyed and written off) and serious incidents suffered by airlines over the past 30 years and comparing them to the revenue passenger kilometres the same airlines have performed over the same period. Airlines are also measured against international safety benchmarks, with near misses and other factors counting.

Other carriers to make the top 10 safest carriers list included Virgin Australia, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad and British Airways. The British carrier narrowly beat Lufthansa.

Qantas, which has never suffered a fatal jet airliner accident and is often considered a byword for safety, came 13th. Its low-cost subsidiary Jetstar, counted as a separate entity, came 20th.

This is the first time Finland’s national carrier has topped the rankings.

“We are ecstatic to be called the world’s safest airline,” Geoff Stone, Finnair Country Sales Manager Australia and New Zealand declared.

“As the fifth oldest airline in the world, Finnair has the experience, the investment and most importantly, the drive to continually improve our passenger experiences.

“Safety can never be compromised. We look forward to continuing our great history of pioneering and welcoming new Finnair customers to the fastest (and safest) route to Europe from Australia.”

Finnair is the only European airline in the top five. In last year’s JACDEC rankings Finnair was ranked second.

Air New Zealand’s Chief Flight Operations and Safety Officer, David Morgan, said the JACDEC Safety Index recognition testified to Air New Zealand’s dedication to maintaining a strong safety culture.

“Safety is paramount and non-negotiable at Air New Zealand. We have worked hard as an airline to create a safety culture which has been embraced by more than 10,000 employees and it’s very pleasing to have been recognised by an external agency,” Morgan said.

The JACDEC Safety Index ranking:

1 Finnair
2 Air New Zealand
3 Cathay Pacific
4 Emirates
5 Etihad Airways
6 EVA Air
7 TAP Portugal
8 Hainan Airlines China
9 Virgin Australia
10 British Airways
11 Lufthansa
12 All Nippon Airways
13 Qantas
14 JetBlue Airways
15 Virgin Atlantic Airways
16 Transaero Airlines
17 EasyJet
18 Thomas Cook Airlines
19 WestJet
20 Jetstar Airways
21 Southwest Airlines
22 Qatar Airways
23 Air Berlin
24 EL AL Israel
25 Air Canada
26 Thomsonfly
27 KLM
28 Delta Air Lines
29 AirAsia
30 Singapore Airlines
31 United Airlines
32 Ryanair
33 Swiss
34 Condor
35 Malaysia Airlines
36 China Eastern Airlines
37 Jet Airways
38 Alitalia
39 Aeroflot – Russian Airlines
40 LAN Airlines
41 Air France
42 American Airlines
43 Air China
44 US Airways
45 Alaska Airlines
46 Asiana
47 Japan Airlines
48 China Southern Airlines
49 Iberia
50 SAS Scandinavian Airlines
51 SkyWest Airlines
52 South African Airways
53 Thai Airways International
54 Turkish Airlines
55 Saudia
56 Korean Air
57 GOL
58 Air India
59 TAM Airlines
60 China Airlines