Air New Zealand has been named the world’s safest airline for the second year in a row, narrowly beating trans-Tasman rival Qantas.
The site rated the safety and in-flight product of 385 airlines using its own seven-star rating system.
In creating its report, the site considered a wide range of factors, including fatal accidents, audits from aviation’s governing and industry bodies, industry-leading safety initiatives, fleet age and more. Another factor was how airlines handled these incidents.
However, the report left out incidents such as bird strikes, turbulence injuries and weather diversions, since the airlines had no control over these occurences.
AirlineRatings.com editor-in chief Geoffrey Thomas said it was an extremely close tussle between Air New Zealand and the Australian airline, describing both as “standouts” in the industry.
Chief executive Greg Foran said he was “very proud” of the Air New Zealand whānau for “consistently and diligently putting safety at the forefront of everything we do”.
“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.”
Second-placed Qantas last topped the list in 2023, with the slip in rankings over the last two years attributed to an ageing fleet.
Sydney University professor and aviation expert Rico Merkert told AAP: “This is a fair point as they do have an older fleet — quite old actually — and they did have some issues recently with some of their older aircraft.
“That said, if maintained well, older aircraft can also be incredibly safe.”
Foran said the accolade for Air New Zealand was “particularly special” as 2024 had presented challenges.
“It highlights how, even in tough times, Air New Zealanders continue to prioritise the safety of our people and passengers above all else. A huge thank you to our Air New Zealand team for all they do to keep our airline flying safely.”