AirlineRatings.com rates serious incidents in global first

by Airline Ratings Editors
1969
August 08, 2020

AirlineRatings.com has launched refined safety ratings that focus more on outcomes than audits to counter fake pilot license scandals and some disturbing pilot actions.

SUBSCRIBE now for the new Safety Ratings.

The major refinement in its rating system examines serious incidents as a guide to an airline’s operational standards and pilot performance.

To arrive at the incident rating Airline Ratings has examined over 11,000 serious event reports since 2015 to establish a rating for airlines. Incidents and crashes now account for five of the seven-star ratings.

In the process, incidents such as bird strikes, lightning and weather were eliminated along with issues that were not related to the airline or pilots.

This brought the number of serious incidents down to 1,200 and our team, over the past six months, meticulously looked at each and reviewed the reports to determine responsibility and other factors.

READ: The rise and rise of Kam Air

Audits are still very important and we review completion or compliance with audits from ICAO and IATA’s IOSA plus the EU blacklist and FAA restricted list. If all the boxes are ticked then another star is awarded.*

Commenting AirlineRatings.com Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Thomas said: “There is a growing concern industry-wide at some pilot performance issues and we have evolved our rating system to put greater focus on outcomes.”

“In some recent fatal crashes, the pilots have either shown total disregard for ATC instructions, ignored repeated aircraft warning systems or ignored company procedures – or, in one case, all three.”

“The Pakistan fake pilots’ license scandal has also brought into sharp focus that in some parts of the world getting a pilot’s license can be subject to abuse.”

The refined ratings, with a COVID-19 health compliance rating, are available for a small yearly subscription of US$15.

That subscription also includes an exclusive weekly editorial from Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Thomas delivered directly to your email inbox.

AirlineRatings
Geoffrey Thomas (right) with CNN’s Richard Quest.

Mr. Thomas has won 45 awards for his work, is the author of 10 books on the industry, has done four documentaries, appeared in the AgeofAerospace and Air Crash Investigation and works with numerous TV networks across the globe including BBC, CNN, SkyNews and Al Jazeera.

  • In the audits, if an airline has not done IOSA but has had 20 years of fatality-free flying it is accepted that the airline is up to IOSA standard. 

SUBSCRIBE now for the new Safety Ratings.