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How safe is the budget airline you are flying with?
Budget airlines fly to many destinations in the region and even beyond. They are cheap and accessible, providing easy transport options for the cost-conscious traveller. While it is wise to be economical, how many of us consider the safety of these airlines before we book our flight tickets. And even if you did, would you know how to check for their safety?
There are several bodies which evaluate the safety of airlines around the world, such as The Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
IOSA assesses the operational management and control systems of an airline. It looks at more than 1,000 audit parameters and airlines are re-evaluated every two years. An airline must pass IOSA to belong to IATA, the leading industry association.
ICAO looks into eight parameters related to safety: Legislation, Organisation, Licensing Operations, Airworthiness, Accident Investigation, Air Navigation Service and Aerodromes. It also examines a country’s infrastructure and regulation that supports its airline system.
AirlineRatings.com conducts additional audits that include ratings such as an airline’s fleet age. Typically, only airlines with an average fleet age of 10 or under are considered. AirlineRatings.com offers a safety rating tool which allows you to compare airline safety rankings.
Here are the safety ratings for budget airlines in the region (Stars out of 7):
AirAsia X | |
AirAsia India | |
AirAsia Indonesia | |
AirAsia Philippines | |
AirAsia Thailand | |
AirAsia Malaysia | |
Cebu Pacific | |
Firefly | |
Lion Air | |
Jetstar | |
Jetstar Asia | |
Jetstar Japan | |
Scoot Singapore | |
Thai Lion Air | |
Spicejet | |
The Best and the Worst Airlines
According to AirlinesRatings.com, the top 20 major airlines for 2018 are: Air New Zealand, Alaska Airlines, All Nippon Airways, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Emirates, Etihad Airways, EVA Air, Finnair, Hawaiian Airlines, Japan Airlines, KLM, Lufthansa, Qantas, Royal Jordanian Airlines, Scandinavian Airline System, Singapore Airlines, Swiss, Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia. These all scored 7/7 stars.
And the worst: Air Koryo, Bluewing Airlines, Buddha Air, Nepal Airlines, Tara Air, Trigana Air Service and Yeti Airlines.
Fly safely!
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