Emirates and Etihad Airways have established their position as most sought-after airlines in the aviation industry for their world-class services and safety. That's the reason both the carriers have also earned the distinction of being ranked among top 10 safest airlines in the world last year.
Emirates ranked fourth followed by Etihad at 5th in the ranking. Emirate's close partner Qantas Airways topped the list after going without a fatal crash since 1951, according to AirlineRatings.com's latest study. The world's only safety and product rating website has announced its top 10 safest airlines for 2013 from the 448 it monitors.
The top 10 airlines earned seven stars for safety and in-flight products, the highest any airline can get. The remaining airlines in the top 10 in alphabetical order are Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Eva Air, Royal Jordanian, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Atlantic.
AirlineRatings.com's rating system takes into account a number of different factors related to audits from aviation's governing bodies and lead associations as well as government audits and the airline's fatality record. Of the 448 airlines surveyed 137 have the top seven-star safety ranking, but almost 50 have just three stars or less.
Over its 93-year history Qantas has amassed an extraordinary record of firsts in safety and operations. Qantas was the first international airline to operate around the world service with its Lockheed Super Constellations in 1958 and the first to take delivery of the Boeing 707 outside the US in 1959.
The Australian airline was also amongst the first to pioneer technical breakthroughs such as long range operations for twin-engine planes and the development of the Future Air Navigation System.
Qantas was the lead airline with real time monitoring of its engines across its fleet using Satellite Communications, which has enabled the airline to detect problems before they become a major safety issues.
And 2013 was the safest for flying since 1945, with only 269 deaths from 29 accidents. According to the Aviation Safety Network the results are well below the 10-year average of 32 accidents and 719 fatalities.
Tatarstan, a small regional airline from central Russia has not completed the critical International Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit (IOSA). Airlines that have completed IOSA have a safety record 77 per cent better than those which have not.
Copyright 2014 - Khaleej Times, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
