After a long and detailed audit by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the United Arab Emirates scored a safety standard compliance rate of 98.86%. This may mean nothing to the casual airline passenger, but it’s actually quite an important metric, especially if you care about your safety. It means that UAE is now officially a world leader in aviation safety with the highest score ever given by ICAO in history.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is the specialized agency of the United Nations that is responsible for setting international safety standards and recommends practices concerning air navigation, air infrastructure, flight inspection, and many others. The agency doesn’t only conduct regular inspections, but it also ranks various airlines and countries’ aviation regulators over safety. ICAO visited the UAE last November and assessed airports, airlines, as well as the country’s regulator. UAE’s highest result of 98.86% among 191 countries means that here are the safest airlines and the safest airports.
The question of airlines safety has become one of the most-talked issues lately after last year’s major aircraft crashes such as Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 and Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501, or the mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 that was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members. However, achievements like the top ranking of UAE remind us that flying is definitely still the safest way to travel. The country, which has been found most compliant with international safety standards, established by the ICAO, also has some of the safest carriers in the world. These are Etihad Airways and Emirates, which is considered the world’s largest airline in terms of passenger traffic.
Meanwhile, Dubai International has recently become the busiest airport in the world, taking the crown from traditional leader London’s Heathrow. The emirate’s secondary hub, will be transformed into a mega airport, which will have an annual capacity of over 200 million passengers. The Midfield Terminal Building is currently under construction at Abu Dhabi International Airport and when it opens in 2017, it will have a capacity of around 40 million passengers a year.
