Cebu Pacific named among safest budget carriers globally

MANILA, Philippines — Low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific has landed as one of the safest low-cost airlines in the world, beating nearly 400 global operators in terms of compliance with international standards, according to AirlineRatings.com.

For 2024, AirlineRatings.com recognized Cebu Pacific as one of the safest budget airlines in the world, making it the lone Philippine operator to land in the list.

Jetstar, easyJet, Ryanair, Wizz Air, Norwegian, Frontier Airlines, Vueling, Vietjet, Southwest Airlines, Volaris and flydubai are also on the list of world’s safest budget carriers.

The AirAsia Group, made up of AirAsia and its units in Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, also made it in the rankings for 2024. Sun Country Airlines, Spirit Airlines, WestJet, JetBlue, Air Arabia, IndiGo and Eurowings rounded up the roster of the safest budget operators.

AirlineRatings.com comes up with a list of the safest carriers to fly with every year. The monitor covers a total of 385 airlines from across the globe.

In deciding who gets in the list, AirlineRatings.com considers multiple factors like incident data in the previous two years and crash records for the past five years.

Likewise, the website factors the results of audits completed by the International Civil Aviation Organization, the governing body for the aviation industry.

AirlineRatings.com also looks into the banned lists issued by the European Union and the age of the fleet of every airline.

Cebu Pacific owns one of the youngest fleets in the world made up of 77 aircraft, most of which are from Airbus. The airline owned by the Gokongweis ended 2023 with a fleet of 35 A320s, 20 A321s, eight A330s and 14 turboprops.

Apart from this, Cebu Pacific will place a firm order for the purchase of as many as 150 jets this year. The acquisition, estimated to amount up to $18 billion, will mark the largest order made by a Philippine carrier in history.

Cebu Pacific CEO Michael Szucs said the airline, in practicing its low-cost model, prioritizes not only the affordability, but the safety as well of every flight it operates.

At present, Cebu Pacific manages a network of 35 local destinations and 25 international routes, reaching as far as Asia, Australia and the Middle East.