emirates, Etihad among safest airlines: report
15 June 2025 15:03
ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)UAE airlines are among the safest in the world, according to a new report, with Emirates and Etihad soaring into the top-five list while flyDubai and Air Arabia make their presence felt in the low-cost category.The survey by AirlineRatings.com for 2025 puts Emirates in third place alongside Qatar Airways and Cathay Pacific. Etihad is two places behind at No.5. Air New Zealand and Qantas bag the first two positions.flydubai is the safest low-cost carrier in the Middle East, coming in at No.11 in the category, and Air Arabia is not too far behind at 18 in the list led by HK Express and Jetstar Group. On the third place which Emirates shared with Qatar and Cathay, AirlineRatings.com CEO Sharon Petersen, said: 'The three-way tie for third place was because we simply could not separate these airlines. From fleet age to pilot skill, safety practices, fleet size, and number of incidents, their scores were identical.'She added that it was it was 'extremely close again between Air New Zealand and Qantas for first place with only 1.50 points separating the two airlines. Whilst both airlines uphold the highest safety standards and pilot training, Air New Zealand continues to have a younger fleet than Qantas which separates the two.'What came as a surprise was the absence of Singapore Airlines and KLM on the list. Petersen clarified in a statement that while these airlines remain exceptionally safe and retain their seven-star safety rating, they just narrowly missed out on a spot this year due to incidents that occurred.The following criteria were used to determine the winners: serious incidents over the past two years; fleet age; fleet size; rate of incidents; fatalities; profitability; IOSA certification; ICAO country audit pass and pilot skill and training.The report comes amid passengers concerns about aviation safety following the Air India crash in Ahmedabad that claimed 270 lives last Thursday. The Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation has formed a high-level, multi-disciplinary panel to investigate the cause of the accident. The panel's mandate extends beyond identifying the cause—it will also evaluate current Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), maintenance practices, and the broader regulatory environment.
A recent airline safety study revealed that between 2018 and 2022, the global death risk per flight boarding was approximately one in 13.7 million. In comparison, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated 1.19 million fatalities from road accidents in 2023, equating to more than two deaths per minute.
Source: Aletihad - Abu Dhabi
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