Perth – AirlineRatings.com has announced its top ten safest airlines and top ten safest low cost airlines for 2015 from the 449 it monitors.

Top of the list again is Qantas which has a fatality free record in the jet era. Making up the remainder of the top ten in alphabetical order are: Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific Airways, British Airways, Emirates, Etihad Airways, EVA Air, Finnair, Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines.

AirlineRatings.com’s rating system takes into account a variety of factors related to audits from aviation’s governing bodies and lead associations as well as government audits and the airlines’ fatality records.

AirlineRating.com’s editorial team, one of the world’s most awarded and experienced, also examined airlines’ operational histories, incident records and operational excellence to arrive at its top ten safest airlines.

According to AirlineRatings.com editor, Geoffrey Thomas, “our top ten safest airlines are always at the forefront of safety innovation and launching new planes.”

“These airlines are a byword for excellence,” he added. “There is no doubt that Qantas is a standout in safety enhancements and an industry benchmark for best practice,” said Mr Thomas.

Over its 94-year history Qantas has amassed an extraordinary record of firsts in safety and operations and is now accepted as the world’s most experienced airline. “Qantas has been the lead airline in virtually every major advancement in airline safety over the past 60 years,” said Mr Thomas.

Responding to public interest, the AirlineRatings.com editors also identified their top ten safest low cost airlines.

These are in alphabetical order: Aer Lingus, Alaska Airlines, Icelandair, Jetstar, Jetblue, Kulula.com, Monarch Airlines, Thomas Cook, TUI Fly and Westjet.

“Unlike a number of low cost carriers these airlines have all passed the stringent International Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) audit and have excellent safety records,” said Mr Thomas. “Low cost does not mean low safety.”

Of the 449 airlines surveyed 149 have the top seven-star safety ranking, but almost 50 have just three stars or less. Five airlines only achieved one star for safety from AirlineRatings.com. These are: Agni Air, Kam Air, Nepal Airlines, Scat and Tara Air.