The safety rating for each airline is based on standards like the eight safety audit parameters of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and certification by the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA). The two Vietnamese airlines, along with Singapore Airlines, British Airways, American Airlines, and Emirates, also had a fatality free record for the past ten years.

Geoffrey Thomas, Editor-in-chief at AirlineRatings, said: “For a long time, Vietnam Airlines has been an important part of the economy of Vietnam. The airline has a very modern fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft and operationally is now up there with the very best”.

Last year, Vietnam Airlines transported nearly 22 million passengers on 140,000 safe flights. Jetstar Pacific fulfilled 800 criteria to receive the IOSA certificate in September 2018. Currently, the airline is operating a safety management system (SMS) that meets the standards of the ICAO and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

AirlineRatings’ evaluation of in-flight entertainment, meals, and other amenities also gave Vietnam Airlines a high rating - 6.5 out of 7 stars. Low-cost carrier Jetstar Pacific received 3 out of 5 stars, tied with Jeju Air (Republic of Korea), Air Asia (Malaysia) and Cebu Pacific (the Philippines).