MAYS IBRAHIM (ABU DHABI)
The UAE is dominating global aviation charts, with five of its airlines scoring advanced rankings on the lists for the top 25 safest airlines for 2024,and the top 20 safest low-cost airlines for 2024, issued by Airline Ratings, an airline safety and product rating website.
Etihad Airways came in fourth on the 2024 list for the world's safest airlines, while Emirates airline was ranked sixth out of the 385 different airlines monitored by the website.
UAE airlines listed among the 20 safest low-cost airlines for 2024 include Wizz Air in fourth place, flydubai in 11th place and Air Arabia in 18th place, out of a total of 385 airlines from around the world.
Airline Ratings Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Thomas described the airlines which made it to the list as "standouts in the industry".
He explained that factors considered in ranking the world's safest airlines include crashes over five years, serious incidents over two years, audits from aviation governing bodies and lead associations, as well as fleet age and aircrew training.
He also noted that a "good" airline is distinguished by the manner in which its flight crew handles any incidents that may arise.
"Our top 25 safest airlines 2024 are always at the forefront of safety innovation, operational excellence, and the launching of new more advanced aircraft such as the Airbus A350, Boeing 787 and 777-9," Thomas said.
"Airlines such as Emirates launched the 777-300ER and the 777-9, and are the biggest operators of the A380," he added.
The safest low-cost airlines list uses similar metrics in its ranking system, including incident records over the past two years, crash records over the past five years, results of audits conducted by aviation governing bodies and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), along with the EU-banned lists, and fleet age, according to AirlineRatings.
The top 20 safest low-cost airlines for 2024 in order are Jetstar, easyJet, Ryanair, Wizz Air, Norwegian, Frontier, Vueling, Vietjet, Southwest, Volaris, flydubai, AirAsia Group, Cebu Pacific, Sun Country, Spirit, Westjet, JetBlue, Air Arabia, Indigo, and Eurowings.
In order, the top 25 safest airlines of 2024 are Air New Zealand, Qantas, Virgin Australia, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Emirates, All Nippon Airways, Finnair, Cathay Pacific Airways, Alaska Airlines, SAS, Korean Air, Singapore Airlines, EVA Air, British Airways, Turkish Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, Lufthansa/Swiss Group, KLM, Japan Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, American Airlines, Air France, Air Canada Group, and United Airlines.