B&H Airlines and Croatia Airlines have been named the safest airlines in the former Yugoslavia, in an annual global review conducted by “AirlineRatings”. For a third consecutive year, the two carriers scored highest for safety, receiving six out of seven stars, ahead of Adria Airways and Air Serbia, which settled for five stars. Montenegro Airlines received a ranking of four stars. B&H, Croatia Airlines and Montenegro Airlines all scored lower than last year, when the Bosnian and Croatian carriers boasted a perfect seven star score, while Montenegro Airlines received five stars In 2014. On the other hand, Adria and Air Serbia maintained last year’s results.

B&H Airlines and Croatia Airlines fared well as they both have successfully undergone an IATA Operational Safety Audit, are allowed to operate within the European Union, have had no fatalities in the past ten years and are endorsed by the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). However, the two airlines failed to receive a perfect score as their countries did not achieve top marks in all eight of the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) safety perimeters. The eight ICAO audit parameters that pertain to safety are legislation, organisation, licensing, operations, airworthiness, accident investigation, air navigation service and airports. Bosnia and Herzegovina scored lower in accident investigation and organisation, while Croatia received lower scores in legislation and airports. These concerns do not necessarily indicate a particular safety deficiency in the air navigation service providers, airlines, aircraft or airports, but, rather, indicates that “the state is not providing sufficient safety oversight to ensure the effective implementation of applicable ICAO standards”, the regulatory body says. It should be noted that “AirlineRatings’” scorecard for EX-YU airlines is based on ICAO's last audits conducted between 2009 and 2011.

Australia’s Qantas Airways has been declared the world’s safest airline for a third year in a row, followed by Air New Zealand, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad, EVA Air, Finnair, Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines. "AirlineRatings" is the first website to independently rate airlines on safety. The company’s rating system is endorsed by ICAO and rates 449 carriers. “AirlineRatings” has been used by millions of passengers from 232 countries. The editorial team has won almost fourty international and national awards and have also authored or co-authored more than 27 industry books. To review the full rankings please visit AirlineRatings.com.