• 1. Qantas. The airline has taken first place in AirlineRatings.com's annual list of the safest airlines around the globe. Photo: AFP
    1. Qantas. The airline has taken first place in AirlineRatings.com's annual list of the safest airlines around the globe. Photo: AFP
  • 2. Air New Zealand. The airline has slipped down from first to second place in the ranking of 385 global airlines. Photo: AP
    2. Air New Zealand. The airline has slipped down from first to second place in the ranking of 385 global airlines. Photo: AP
  • 3. Etihad Airways. The national carrier of the UAE is the highest-ranked Middle Eastern airline in the list. Photo: Etihad
    3. Etihad Airways. The national carrier of the UAE is the highest-ranked Middle Eastern airline in the list. Photo: Etihad
  • 4. Qatar Airways. In fourth place, it's one of three Middle Eastern airlines in the top 20. Reuters
    4. Qatar Airways. In fourth place, it's one of three Middle Eastern airlines in the top 20. Reuters
  • 5. Singapore Airlines. The carrier has slipped down one place from fourth. Reuters
    5. Singapore Airlines. The carrier has slipped down one place from fourth. Reuters
  • 6. TAP Air Portugal is the flag carrier airline of Portugal and ranks sixth in the 2023 ranking. Reuters / Rafael Marchante
    6. TAP Air Portugal is the flag carrier airline of Portugal and ranks sixth in the 2023 ranking. Reuters / Rafael Marchante
  • 7. Emirates. The Dubai airline has climbed 13 places to rank as the seventh-safest airline in the world. Photo: Emirates
    7. Emirates. The Dubai airline has climbed 13 places to rank as the seventh-safest airline in the world. Photo: Emirates
  • 8. Alaska Airlines. The carrier ranked the eighth-safest airline in the world for 2023. Photo: David Ryder / Bloomberg
    8. Alaska Airlines. The carrier ranked the eighth-safest airline in the world for 2023. Photo: David Ryder / Bloomberg
  • 9. EVA Air. The Taiwanese airline holds its ninth place from 2022. EPA-EFE
    9. EVA Air. The Taiwanese airline holds its ninth place from 2022. EPA-EFE
  • 10. Virgin Australia/Virgin Atlantic. The airline rounds out the top 10. Photo: AFP
    10. Virgin Australia/Virgin Atlantic. The airline rounds out the top 10. Photo: AFP
  • 11. Cathay Pacific. The Hong Kong airline ranks as one of the world's safest. Reuters
    11. Cathay Pacific. The Hong Kong airline ranks as one of the world's safest. Reuters
  • 12. Hawaiian Airlines. The carrier sits 12th in the list. Reuters
    12. Hawaiian Airlines. The carrier sits 12th in the list. Reuters
  • 13. SAS. The Scandinavian airline has fallen seven places in 2023. Photo: Carsten Snejbjerg / Bloomberg
    13. SAS. The Scandinavian airline has fallen seven places in 2023. Photo: Carsten Snejbjerg / Bloomberg
  • 14. United Airlines. The carrier is one of several US airlines in the ranking. AP Photo
    14. United Airlines. The carrier is one of several US airlines in the ranking. AP Photo
  • 15. Lufthansa. The German air carrier holds the 15th spot in the annual safety ranking. Reuters
    15. Lufthansa. The German air carrier holds the 15th spot in the annual safety ranking. Reuters
  • 16. Finland's largest and flag carrier Finnair is the world's sixteenth safest airline. ReuterS / Phil Noble
    16. Finland's largest and flag carrier Finnair is the world's sixteenth safest airline. ReuterS / Phil Noble
  • 17. British Airways. The UK's flag carrier ranks in the world's safest airlines. Reuters
    17. British Airways. The UK's flag carrier ranks in the world's safest airlines. Reuters
  • 18. KLM. The flag carrier of the Netherlands holds a spot in the top 20. Reuters
    18. KLM. The flag carrier of the Netherlands holds a spot in the top 20. Reuters
  • 19. American Airlines. The carrier has slipped to 19th in the annual list. Reuters / Joshua Roberts
    19. American Airlines. The carrier has slipped to 19th in the annual list. Reuters / Joshua Roberts
  • 20. Delta Air Lines. The US airline rounds out the top 20. AP Photo
    20. Delta Air Lines. The US airline rounds out the top 20. AP Photo

Travel

Airlines

Etihad Airways and Emirates among top 10 in world's safest airlines list for 2023

Australia’s national carrier Qantas is the world’s safest, according to AirlineRatings.com’s annual ranking

Hayley Skirka
Hayley Skirka

January 03, 2023

  • English
  • Arabic

Qantas has been named the world’s safest airline for the year.

AirlineRatings.com has revealed its top 20 safest airlines for 2023, with the Australian carrier nabbing the top spot and two UAE airlines making the top 10, out of 385 carriers across the globe.

Etihad Airways, the UAE's national airline, ranks in third place, just behind last year’s winner Air New Zealand.

Emirates is listed in seventh place, climbing 13 places from last year's ranking.

'Etihad and Emirates are both standouts when it comes to safety,' AirlineRatings.com editor-in-chief Geoffrey Thomas told The National. Photo: Etihad
'Etihad and Emirates are both standouts when it comes to safety,' AirlineRatings.com editor-in-chief Geoffrey Thomas told The National. Photo: Etihad

“Etihad and Emirates are both standouts when it comes to safety,” AirlineRatings.com editor-in-chief Geoffrey Thomas told The National on Tuesday.

“Both airlines lead the world in the purchase of new, safer and more fuel-efficient aircraft. And both carriers have been launch customers for new designs such as the 777X.”

The aviation expert also commended Emirates and Etihad for improving safety standards.

“Of course, there is always room for improvement to reduce the number of serious incidents and in this year’s ranking, both airlines did reduce the number of incidents,” he added.

“There was very little between the top 10 safest airlines in our scoring.”

Qantas is the world's safest airline in 2023

A Qantas passenger plane takes off from Sydney International Airport. AFP
A Qantas passenger plane takes off from Sydney International Airport. AFP

Qantas regained its 2021 top spot in this year's ranking, climbing six places since last year.

The airline has a 100-year operational history and is recognised as the world’s oldest continuously operating airline. It previously topped the annual safety rankings from 2014 to 2017 and again from 2019 to 2021.

During the pandemic, Qantas was forced to ground the majority of its fleet after Australia implemented some of the world's strictest Covid-19 control measures, effectively banning travel.

AirlineRatings.com monitors 385 airlines around the world. A range of factors are considered as part of its annual ranking of the world's safest airlines, including serious incidents, recent fatal accidents, industry-leading safety initiatives, expert pilot training assessment and the age of each airline's fleet.

“Our top 20 safest airlines are all standouts in the industry and are at the forefront of safety, innovation and launching of new aircraft,” said Thomas.

The top 20 safest airlines in the world in 2023

The world's safest airlines for 2023 have been revealed, with Qantas leading the pack and two UAE airlines making the top 10. Reuters
The world's safest airlines for 2023 have been revealed, with Qantas leading the pack and two UAE airlines making the top 10. Reuters
  1. Qantas
  2. Air New Zealand
  3. Etihad Airways
  4. Qatar Airways
  5. Singapore Airlines
  6. TAP Air Portugal
  7. Emirates
  8. Alaska Airlines
  9. EVA Air
  10. Virgin Australia/Virgin Atlantic
  11. Cathay Pacific
  12. Hawaiian Airlines
  13. SAS
  14. United Airlines
  15. Lufthansa/Swiss Group
  16. Finnair
  17. British Airways
  18. KLM
  19. American Airlines
  20. Delta Air Lines
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One in nine do not have enough to eat

Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.

One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.

The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.

Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.

It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.

On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.

Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.

 

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Updated: January 03, 2023, 8:00 AM
AirlinesEtihad Airways