AirAsia Group* as well as medium-haul affiliate airlines AirAsia X and Thai AirAsia X, have been recertified as seven-star airlines by AirlineRatings.com under its enhanced safety ratings criteria.

Every airline that was rated has also achieved IOSA accreditation - the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Operational Safety Audit programme, which is a key global benchmark for upholding the highest safety standards at all times.

AirAsia's sustained seven star rating is underpinned by its commitment to safety across all operations. This achievement is driven by key initiatives such as extensive employee training, a highly experienced engineering team with more than 20 years of expertise, and rigorous maintenance procedures. 

AirAsia also maintains a robust internal safety management system (SMS) and corporate governance structure, including a Board-level Safety Review Board (SRB) and meets the highest global safety standards with certifications like the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Part 145 approval, ensuring the highest level of safety compliance and operational performance. 

Airlineratings.com Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Thomas said: "The AirAsia Group* including AirAsia X and Thai AirAsia X, had achieved an excellent safety rating under our enhanced rating criteria and are performing almost flawlessly. The AirAsia Group's on-time performance rate is tracking well, the incident rate is almost non-existent and the airline's safety performance is extremely impressive,” added Mr Thomas.       

AirAsia Aviation Group’s Group CEO Bo Lingam, welcomed the news that airlines under the AirAsia Group* have been recertified with a 7/7 safety rating:

“To date, AirAsia Group has flown nearly 800 million passengers since its inception over 23 years ago. As the aviation industry continues to face the challenges and opportunities of fleet reactivations and growing travel demand in the region, this recognition from Airlineratings.com underscores AirAsia’s laser focus on enhancing safety protocols, operational efficiency, and on-time performance. We continually invest in our people, technology, and processes to comply with the highest standards, including regular IOSA audits by IATA.

“As a Group, we are reaching beyond the regional geographical boundaries and leveraging on the expertise within all of our airlines embracing our core value of ‘safety is always our number one priority’. Our safety management ecosystem is amplified thanks to AirAsia Group’s collective strengths - being ‘safer and stronger together’ to conform beyond the required safety standards and protocols. 

“With this acknowledgment further supporting our growth strategy, we remain dedicated to being one of the top low-cost carriers globally, delivering safe and reliable air travel for our guests.”

CEO of AirAsia X Benyamin Ismail added: “This is a meaningful recognition for AirAsia X which has been IOSA accredited since 2013. We strive to deliver world-class service with great value fares for medium-haul air travel across Asia and beyond. This is a significant acknowledgement of our dedication to continuing to uphold industry-leading standards across our operations.  As we move into our next growth trajectory, we thank the experts at AirlineRatings.com for their strong vote of confidence for the millions of passengers who choose to fly with us each year.” 

Tassapon Bijleveld, CEO of Thai AirAsia X, echoed this sentiment: "Safety is paramount. This recognition for both our short-haul and medium-haul airlines in Thailand underscores our commitment to delivering the best value and choice for our passengers." Mr. Bijleveld highlighted the team's dedication and the importance of this recognition for upholding the highest safety standards.

Mr Thomas added that “our safety rating tool is unrivalled in the aviation industry and tens of millions of travellers come to us to seek reassurance before they book a flight. Many airlines have conducted the IOSA audit to improve their safety rating.

“This isn't merely recognition; it's validation of the unrivalled meticulous work that goes on behind the scenes, as we strive to create a safer, more informed world of air travel.

“As we have very recently relaunched our revamped website, we are now recertifying all seven-star airlines, leveraging additional safety data and analysis plus expertise from former check & training pilots to bolster our rating system's robustness,” he said. 

Additional safety data and analysis for recertification include in the areas of pilot training and incidents. 

AirAsia Group and affiliate airlines, AirAsia X and Thai AirAsia X operate the Airbus family aircraft (A320/A330) which all have excellent safety records and high dispatch reliability.  

*AirAsia Group includes AirAsia Malaysia, AirAsia Philippines, AirAsia Indonesia, AirAsia Thailand. Included in these ratings are affiliate medium-haul airlines AirAsia X and Thailand AirAsia X. AirAsia Cambodia isn’t included as it has only recently commenced operations and will be reviewed in due course.