NOT ONE AFRICAN AIRLINE MAKES IT INTO THE TOP 20 SAFEST IN THE WORLD
(Posted 06th January 2016)
When AirlineRatings.com released their latest list of the world’s 20 safest airlines and the 10 safest LCC’s, short for Low Cost Carriers, was not one African airline among those listed.
The rankings were again topped by Qantas, Australia’s national airline, which has in its entire history – the airline is now 95 year old, having been founded on the 16th of November1920, making it the third oldest airline in the world after KLM and Avianca – not suffered one fatal accident. The remaining 19 airlines, listed in alphabetical order, were named by AirlineRatings as Air New Zealand, Alaska Airlines, All Nippon Airways, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, Emirates, Etihad Airways, EVA Air, Finnair, Hawaiian Airlines, Japan Airlines, KLM, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airline System, Singapore Airlines, Swiss, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia.
Similarly were the top ten LCC’s in terms of aviation safety named as Aer Lingus, Flybe, HK Express, Jetblue, Jetstar Australia, Thomas Cook, TUI Fly, Virgin America, Volaris and Westjet.
None of Africa’s leading airlines, leave alone any of the continent’s LCC’s did make it into these top rankings and notably was Qatar Airways also left out of the top 20, leading to prompt questions of the criteria employed to arrive at the ratings.
East African travelers will be happy to note that in particular one of the region’s favourite airlines, Emirates, made it into the top 20, alongside with rival Etihad while European legacy carriers in the top twenty, which serve the region, include KLM, Lufthansa and Swiss.
Regional heavyweights Kenya Airways, Ethiopian and RwandAir however all are confirmed by IATA as holding current IOSA certifications, IOSA being IATA’s Operational Safety Audit and all three now in the process of undergoing audits for IATA’s e-IOSA certification, ‘e’ standing for enhanced, i.e. with widened and more stringent criteria to be met.
‘Africa has a poor aviation record, no doubt about that. But Africa’s leading airlines are as safe as all others after they were certified and re-certified with IOSA standards by IATA. The fact that they did not make it into the top 20 does not mean that flying with them is any less safe than flying on those which made it into the list. I would be keen to see the complete list from AirlineRatings to make more informed comments’ was a Nairobi based aviation source swift to point out.
To shed additional light on these rankings were the criteria used by AirlineRatings sourced and are published below for the benefit of readers:
Safety Rating Criteria
The safety rating for each airline is based on a comprehensive analysis utilising information from the world’s aviation governing body and leading association along with governments and crash data. Each airline has the potential to earn seven stars. For more information see the disclaimer.
The 7 star safety assessment criteria for all airlines is as follows
Is the airline IOSA or ISSA certified? If yes two stars are awarded; if not, no star is given.
What is IOSA Certification? The IATA* Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certification audit is an internationally recognised and accepted evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline. IOSA uses internationally recognised audit principles and is designed to conduct audits in a standardised and consistent manner. Airlines are re-evaluated every two years. Registering for IOSA certification and auditing is not mandatory therefore an airline that does not have IOSA certification may have either failed the IOSA audit or alternatively chosen not to participate. ISSA certification is similar to IOSA but tailored for airlines that operate small regional aircraft with a take-off weight less than 5700kgs or because their business model does not allow conformity with other IOSA requirements. Generally these airlines operate aircraft with fewer than 35 seats.
*IATA (International Air Transport Association) – See more at: http://www.airlineratings.com/safety_rating_criteria.php.
Is the airline on the European Union (EU) Blacklist? If no a full star is awarded; if yes then no star is given.
What is the EU Blacklist? A list of airlines banned from flying into European airspace due to safety concerns arising from alleged poor aircraft maintenance and/or regulatory oversight. Airlines banned by the EU may have a flawless safety record however the potential risk towards passenger safety is deemed by the EU as too high and a ban is put in place
Has the airline maintained a fatality free record for the past 10 years? If yes the airline is awarded a full star; if not then no star is given.
A fatality is deemed as the death of crew and/or passengers whilst on board the aircraft due to an accident. If deaths occurred through acts of terrorism, highjackings OR pilot suicide they have not been included. If an airline suffered a fatal accident through no fault of its own such as a runway incursion on the active runway (an incident where an unauthorized aircraft, vehicle or person is on a runway) this has also not been included.
Is the airline FAA endorsed? If yes a full star is awarded; if not, no star is given.
What is FAA endorsement? In the United States, the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has a list that bans countries (not airlines) from flying into American Airspace. The ban arises from a deemed inability to adhere to international aviation standards for aircraft operations and maintenance. According to the FAA Web site, "those that do not meet these international standards cannot initiate new service and are restricted to current levels of any existing service to the United States while corrective actions are underway". An airline or airlines from a prohibited country may have a flawless safety record however the potential risk to safety is deemed too high by the FAA to allow operations in American airspace.
Does the country of airline origin meet all 8 ICAO safety parameters? If yes TWO stars are awarded to the airline. However, if the one criteria that is below the average is so by less than 15 per cent it is considered a pass. If 5 to 7 of the criteria are met one star is awarded. If the country only meets up to four criteria no star is given.
What is ICAO and what are the 8 parameters? The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) was created to promote the safe and orderly development of international civil aviation throughout the world. It sets standards and regulations necessary for aviation safety, security, efficiency and regularity, as well as for aviation environmental protection. The 8 ICAO audit parameters that pertain to safety are; Legislation, Organization, Licensing, Operations, Airworthiness, Accident Investigation, Air Navigation Service and Aerodromes. For more information on a particular country visit: http://www.icao.int/safety/Pages/USOAP-Results.aspx.
Has the airline’s fleet been grounded by the country’s governing aviation safety authority due to safety concerns? If yes an additional star will be taken off the total for five years from the time of grounding
Does the airline operate only Russian built aircraft? If yes an additional star will be taken off the total.
It could also be ascertained that selected African airlines performed as shown below:
Air Austral (French registered but Reunion based 7/7)
South African Airways 6/7
Air Mauritius 5/7
Air Seychelles 5/7
Ethiopian Airlines 5/7
EgyptAir 5/7
Kenya Airways 5/7
RwandAir 5/7
While these rankings are either at or above average did Kenya’s Fly540 for instance end up with just a 3/7 which is below average. Full details on the airlines ranked in alphabetical order can be found via www.airlineratings.com
