Qantas’ eight-year streak as safest airline ended by Kiwi rival
In the wake of some of its toughest years during the pandemic, the airline industry has welcomed the gradual return of travelling by announcing the safest airlines in the world for the year ahead - with the top prize going to Air New Zealand.
The 2022 rankings were compiled by AirlineRatings.com, which considered the number of serious incidents over the previous two years, safety initiatives, fleet age and COVID-19 safety protocols in each airline’s score.
Air New Zealand was lauded for its technical innovation and young fleet of planes, with the website’s editors noting that the airline operates in “some of the most challenging weather conditions and remote environments”.
“The last two years have been extremely difficult for airlines with COVID-19 slashing travel and Airline Ratings editors have particularly focused on the lengths airlines are undertaking to re-train pilots ahead of a return to service,” said Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Thomas,
He added that Air New Zealand was a leader in the field thanks to its “comprehensive retraining”..
This year’s rankings has also seen the end of Qantas’ eight-year streak, with the website stating that an incident at a Perth airport in 2018 caused the drop in its ranking.
Despite this, the Aussie airline still made the top 20 of the 385 airlines included in the ranking, coming in seventh place.
The top 20 ranking, in full, is as follows:Air New Zealand, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airways, TAP Portugal, SAS, Qantas, Alaska Airlines, EVA Air, Virgin Australia/Atlantic, Cathay Pacific Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, American Airlines, Lufthansa/Swiss Group, Finnair, Air France/KLM Group, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Emirates.
Meanwhile, the safest low-cost airlines have also been ranked, with Jetstar, Ryanair, Vietjet, Westjet and Wizz were among those that made the top ten list for 2022.
Image: @qantas (Instagram)