SYDNEY, Australia (CU)_In the 2021 edition of the annual list of the world’s safest airlines published by AirlineRatings.com, Australian carrier Qantas took the top spot once again, while neighboring airline Air New Zealand came in third.
The editors of the site have called Qantas “the industry’s most experienced airline,” and has applauded the carrier’s “truly amazing record of firsts in operations and safety”. It is reported that records of crashes and serious incidents, fleet age and government audits, as well as other safety initiatives were among the factors taken into account when rating these carriers in terms of safety.
Meanwhile, neighboring carrier Air New Zealand was placed third, and Qatar Airways joined the list in second place. The other carriers which made it to the top five were Singapore Airlines and Emirates, which were ranked 4th and 5th respectively.
While the website noted that it also provides a “COVID-19 rating” for airlines, however, it is unclear if protocols set out by the carriers for the prevention of the spread of the Coronavirus were factored when determining the Safest Airlines for this year.
Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that Air New Zealand made it to this list, which recognises airlines which “have gone above and beyond in the protection of passengers or in adding flexibility to travel”, criteria which Qantas failed to meet.
In terms of low-cost carriers, 3 American airlines — Allegiant Air, Frontier Airlines and JetBlue — and Canadian carrier WestJet were among the top-10 safest global low-cost carriers.
