The rankings published by AirlineRatings.com have enlisted four airlines from Nepal in the world’s least safe airlines (one star ranking). The listed airlines include Buddha Air, Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC), Tara Air and Yeti Airlines. Likewise, Air Koryo, Bluewing Airlines, and Trigana Air Service have also joined the list of world’s least safe airlines.
The safety rating for each airline is based on a comprehensive analysis utilizing information from the world’s aviation governing body and leading association along with governments and crash data. International Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) uses over 1000 audit parameters and airlines are re-evaluated every two years and airline must pass IOSA to belong to International Air Transport Agency (IATA), the leading industry association. IOSA is an internationally recognized and accepted evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline.
The other major audit is conducted by the governing body of aviation, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). This audit covers a country’s infrastructure and regulation that supports its airline system. The eight ICAO audit parameters that pertain to safety are; Legislation, Organization, Licensing, Operations, Airworthiness, Accident Investigation, Air Navigation Service and Aerodromes.
Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the aviation governing body of Nepal is lagging sustainable development. European Union (EU) has again banned all the airline operators of Nepal flying into their airspace. Besides, the inappropriate accident investigation and poor institutional condition of CAAN has been the setback for smooth development of aviation industry of Nepal. This setback may be the reason behind four airlines of Nepal being enlisted in worst safety ranking by the AirlineRatings.com.
On the other hand, the Top 20 safest airline are Air New Zealand, Alaska Airlines, All Nippon Airways, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Emirates, Etihad Airways, EVA Air, Finnair, Hawaiin Airlines, Japan Airlines, KLM, Lufthansa, Qantas, Royal Jordanian Airlines, Scandinavian Airline System, Singapore Airlines, Swiss, Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia.
The rankings arrive as 2017 was confirmed as the safest year on record for commercial air travel, with zero accident deaths recorded for commercial passenger jets.
Chief Editor of AirlineRatings.com Mr. Geoffrey Thomas said, “All airlines have incidents every day and many are aircraft manufacture issues, not airline operational problems. And 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. Our Top 20 safest airlines are always at the forefront of safety innovation, operational excellence and the launching of new more advanced aircraft like the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787.”
AirlineRatings was launched in June 2013 and rates the safety and in-flight product of 409 airlines using its unique seven-star rating system. It has been used by millions of passengers from 232 countries and has become the industry standard for safety and product rating. The editorial 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.
