Fiji Airways joins Seven Star PLUS safety rated airline group

Fiji Airways is now recognised as a Seven Star PLUS safety rated airline after successfully completing an independent AirlineRatings onboard cabin safety audit, conducted over six flights, which confirmed the airline’s proven and consistent safety standards in the cabin.

The achievement places Fiji Airways in a select group of Seven Star PLUS safety rated carriers that includes Etihad Airways, STARLUX, Malaysia Airlines, Air New Zealand and Cathay Pacific, and it recognises the airline’s continued commitment to rigorous onboard operational standards.

AirlineRatings Safety and Service Quality Manager Josh Wood said: ‘Fiji Airways may be a smaller airline with a lower global profile, yet the safety ethos it has built from the ground up reaches every area of the business, and the team should feel incredibly proud of that.

‘On every flight we audited, the cabin crew showed excellent discipline and delivered the same procedures and announcements with remarkable consistency. Fiji Airways is a Seven Star PLUS safety rated airline, a rating it achieves because the safety culture we saw onboard runs deep, from the way crew manage a busy boarding to the care they take over each passenger in the cabin.’

So what did our auditor actually see that made Fiji Airwasy a Seven Star PLUS safety rated airline?

Mostly small things, done the same way on every flight, which is exactly what we want from an airlines crew.

When the engines started, the crew turned the safety video up so it could still be heard over the noise, something a surprising number of airlines never think to do.

Before departure and again before landing, they walked the cabin properly, catching reclined seats, bags that had not been stowed, headrests and armrests out of place, and they stayed beside anyone who had not buckled up until the belt clicked.

The announcements were the same on every flight too, covering power banks, seatbelts over blankets and where to put devices, with the captain backing them up in plain language from the flight deck. The power bank message starts well before anyone boards, with an email ahead of travel and then announcements and signage at the gate, so by the time passengers reach their seats they have heard it more than once.

Crew showed strong situational awareness throughout, closing an open overhead locker safely during the climb, advising a passenger to hold a baby securely and preparing the cabin early when the captain forecast weather on descent. They also encouraged passengers to stretch and move during the flight, which our auditor rated as great practice for passenger safety and wellbeing.

Fiji Airways Chief Safety, Quality and Security Officer Josua Cavalevu said: ‘The audit’s independent nature made the result especially meaningful. Cabin safety is built on doing the small things properly, every time: the checks, the briefings, the conversations with guests.

‘The audit was conducted on ordinary flights without our crew knowing they were being assessed, providing a practical measure of the standards they deliver every day. I’m proud of our cabin crew and the standard they hold themselves to.’

Since the programme launched in October 2025, AirlineRatings has completed 14 onboard cabin safety audits. Not every airline comes out of the process with a Seven Star PLUS safety rating, which makes the achievement for Fiji Airways all the more notable.

Airlines that receive more recommendations than the threshold allows are given a clear and detailed pathway to qualification: once corrective measures are in place they are re-audited, with the aim of earning Seven Star PLUS status at that point.

Fiji Airways Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Paul Scurrah said: ‘Safety is our highest priority at Fiji Airways, and this recognition is a credit to the care and discipline our team bring to that responsibility every day.

‘Much of what our crew do to keep guests safe happens quietly and consistently, often without notice, yet it’s an important part of every journey. That’s why it’s so meaningful to have that commitment recognised through an independent, anonymous assessment. Our guests trust us to get them safely to where they need to be, and we uphold that trust on every flight.’

What does Seven Star PLUS actually mean?

Seven Star PLUS is a safety rating an airline has to earn. To be eligible, an airline must already hold our seven-star safety rating, the maximum on our scale. Only then can it put itself forward for the audit that leads to a Seven Star PLUS rating.

The airline invites our auditors aboard for an independent, anonymous assessment of its cabin crew safety compliance, observed under normal flight conditions across six flights. An airline earns Seven Star PLUS only if that audit goes well and the standards are met overall. Not every airline that sits it will clear it, and the rating has to be defended every two years. The airline pays for the service, but we decide the result and provide a detailed feedback report that recognises what the crew do well and shows where they can improve. An airline with a number of areas for improvement simply keeps its seven-star safety rating, with encouragement to act on the report and reapply at a later date.

The value in these audits sits with both the airline and the passenger. For the airline, the audit catches things early. It finds genuine cabin crew compliance gaps and helps close them before they become incidents or regulator findings. A safety team and a CFO both understand the value of catching a problem early. Earning the rating also gives the airline a credential that carries weight precisely because it cannot be bought.

For travellers, Seven Star PLUS is a simple signal worth knowing. It marks an airline that already holds our seven-star safety rating, then opened its cabin operation to independent scrutiny and passed.

An airline without Seven Star PLUS is no less safe and sits no lower in our rankings. The PLUS marks verified cabin safety compliance, earned by airlines that chose to be tested and met the standard.

Why it matters

With nearly 40 per cent of passengers reporting anxiety or a fear of flying, Seven Star PLUS provides a new level of reassurance. Traditional safety metrics focus on aircraft maintenance, operational excellence and regulatory compliance, whereas this rating looks at the human element: how safety is communicated, enacted and felt onboard.

The programme supports the AirlineRatings mission: ‘Guiding you to the safest and best value airline for every journey’.

For enquiries about taking part in AirlineRatings safety audits, contact [email protected].