Qantas has been awarded the world’s safest airline for 2023 by AirlineRatings.com, the world’s only safety, product and COVID rating website.

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The Australian airline has regained the top spot in AirlineRatings.com's Top Twenty Safest Airlines 2023 just edging out last year's winner Air New Zealand by the finest of margins.

According to AirlineRatings.com Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Thomas, "our Top Twenty Safest Airlines are all standouts in the industry and are at the forefront of safety, innovation, and launching of new aircraft."

"In fact, the margins between these top twenty airlines are very small, they are all outstanding airlines," Mr Thomas said.

In making its evaluation, AirlineRatings.com takes into account a comprehensive range of factors that include: serious incidents, fatal accidents, audits from aviation’s governing and industry bodies, profitability, industry-leading safety initiatives, expert pilot training assessment and fleet age.

In selecting Qantas as the world’s safest airline for 2023,  AirlineRatings.com editors noted that over its 100-year operational history the world’s oldest continuously operating airline has amassed an amazing record of firsts in operations and safety and is now accepted as the industry’s most experienced airline. *

The Australian airline has been a leader in the development of the Future Air Navigation System; the flight data recorder to monitor plane and later crew performance; automatic landings using the Global Navigation Satellite System as well as precision approaches around mountains in all weather using RNP.  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 issue.

Last year the airline placed the largest order in its history for 12, 369-seat A350-1000s ultra-long-range jets, 20, 206-seat A321XLRs and 20, 120-seat A220s plus over 106 purchase right options spread amongst the different types to be supplied over 10 years.

THE TOP 20 SAFEST AIRLINES FOR 2023

The Top Twenty Safest Airlines by ranking are Qantas, Air New Zealand, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, Emirates, Alaska Airlines, EVA Air, Virgin Australia/Atlantic, Cathay Pacific Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, SAS, United Airlines, Lufthansa/Swiss Group, Finnair, British Airways, KLM, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines

TOP 20 SAFEST LOW-COST AIRLINES FOR 2023

Responding to the public interest, the AirlineRatings.com editors also identified their Top 10 safest low-cost airlines. These are in alphabetical order: Air Arabia, AirAsia Group** Allegiant, Air Baltic, easyjet, FlyDubai, Frontier, Jetstar Group, Jetblue, Indigo, Ryanair, Scoot, Southwest, Spicejet, Spirit, Vueling, Vietjet, Volaris, Westjet, and Wizz.

Unlike a number of low-cost carriers, these airlines have all passed the stringent International Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) and have good safety records.

Mr Thomas said the site only looked at serious incidents in making its determinations.

“All airlines have incidents every day and many are aircraft manufacture issues, not airline operational problems,' he said. "It is the way the flight crew handles incidents that determines a good airline from an unsafe one. So just lumping all incidents together is very misleading.”

"And some country's incident reporting systems are weak further complicating matters."

AirlineRatings was launched in June 2013 and rates the safety and in-flight products of 385 airlines using its unique seven-star rating system. It has been used by millions of passengers from 180 countries and has become the industry standard for safety, product and safety rating. The editorial team is one of the world’s most experienced with almost 50 international and national awards. They have also authored or co-authored more than 28 industry books.

* British Advertising Standards Association ruling 2008

**AirAsia, AirAsia X, AirAsia Thailand, AirAsia Philippines and AirAisa India.