Air New Zealand has been named the safest airline for 2024 by AirlineRatings.com, the world’s exclusive safety and product rating website. The airline achieved this recognition, surpassing last year’s leader, Qantas, by a narrow margin.
Geoffrey Thomas, the Editor-in-Chief of AirlineRatings.com, commented, “Our Top Twenty-Five Safest Airlines are all standouts in the industry and are at the forefront of safety, innovation, and launching of new aircraft.” He added, “The safety margins between these top twenty-five airlines are very small,” and highlighted the close competition by stating, “Between Air New Zealand and Qantas there is only 1.5 points. It’s incredibly close.”
AirlineRatings.com's Criteria for Ranking the Safest Airlines in 2024 Explained
The evaluation process by AirlineRatings.com considers various factors, including serious incidents, recent fatal accidents, audits from aviation’s governing bodies, profitability, safety initiatives, pilot training, and fleet age. However, it excludes events like bird strikes, turbulence injuries, weather diversions, and lightning strikes, which are beyond an airline’s control.
Air New Zealand’s selection was based on its comprehensive safety focus, excelling in a broad spectrum of safety aspects and operating in challenging environments.
The Top 25 Safest Carriers
The Top 25 Safest Airlines for 2024, as ranked by AirlineRatings.com, 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.
The Top 20 LCCs
In the low-cost segment, the Top 20 Safest Low-Cost Airlines for 2024 are Jetstar, easyJet, Ryanair, Wizz, Norwegian, Frontier, Vueling, Vietjet, Southwest, Volaris, flydubai, AirAsia Group, Cebu Pacific, Sun Country, Spirit, Westjet, JetBlue, Air Arabia, Indigo, and Eurowings. The AirAsia Group includes AirAsia, AirAsia X, AirAsia Thailand, AirAsia Philippines, and AirAsia India.
Mr. Thomas noted, “These airlines all have an excellent safety culture and a low incident rate.”