AirlineRatings.com has named the 20 highest-rated and safest airlines in the worldin 2017 – as well as providing ratings for 5 South African airlines.
Air New Zealand was awarded 2017 Airline of the Year for the fourth consecutive year due to “record-breaking financial performance, award-winning in-flight innovations, operational safety, environmental leadership and motivation of its staff”.
Meanwhile, Australian airline Qantas took top spot for safety the fourth consecutive year, as the airline boasts a fatality-free record in the jet era.
Of the 425 airlines surveyed, 148 have the top seven-star safety ranking, but almost 50 have just three stars or less.
These are the top 20 safest airlines in the world (in alphabetical order):
- Air New Zealand
- Alaska Airlines
- All Nippon Airways
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific Airways
- Delta Air Lines
- Etihad Airways
- EVA Air
- Finnair
- Hawaiian Airlines
- Japan Airlines
- KLM
- Lufthansa
- Qantas
- Scandinavian Airline System
- Singapore Airlines
- Swiss
- United Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic
- Virgin Australia
There are 14 airlines with only one star, including airlines from Afghanistan, Indonesia, Nepal and Suriname.
No single African or South American airline made it into the top 20 safest airlines this year, while Kulula was the only South African airline to feature in any of the awards, taking home the award for Best Low Cost Airline alongside Virgin America, Scoot, and Norwegian airways.
National carrier South African Airways currently boasts the highest national ranking with a 5/7 star rating on the site, falling short of full marks which are “reserved for premium carriers which denote excellence and the very best in market offerings and cannot be compared to budget and regional carriers,”AirlineRatings said.
| Airline | Safety Rating | Airline Rating |
|---|---|---|
| South African Airways | 6/7 | 5/7 |
| SA Express | 6/7 | 4/5 |
| Kulula | 6/7 | 3/5 |
| SA Airlink | 6/7 | 3/5 |
| Mango | 4/7 | 2.5/5 |
* Newer and smaller airlines including Safair did not feature in the ratings. National carriers rated out of 7.