Travel Unpacked: Emirates and Etihad among world’s safest airlines for 2025

The National rounds up the most interesting tourism news you might have missed

Etihad Airways ranked fifth in airlineratings.com's world's safest airlines list. Photo: Etihad

A leading airline safety site has unveiled its list of the world's safest airlines for 2025, with many from the UAE and Gulf making it to the top. Meanwhile, Dubai's Emirates is set to become the world's first Autism-Certified Airline.

Here's a round-up of recent travel and tourism news – in case you missed it.

Emirates and Etihad among world's safest airlines

Airline safety and product rating review site airlineratings.com has released its latest ranking of the world's safest airlines.

UAE airlines Emirates and Etihad made it into the top 10, ranking third and fifth respectively. Qatar Airways also made the top 10, sharing third place with Emirates and Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific.

The safest airline in the world, according to the review, is Air New Zealand, followed by Qantas from Australia.

Among low-cost airlines, the UAE's flydubai and Air Arabia ranked 11th and 18th respectively.

The ranking was achieved by grading airlines on a number of criteria, including serious incidents over the past two years, fleet age, fleet size, rate of incidents, fatalities and pilot skill and training.

Developed in 2012 as a one-stop-shop for everything related to airlines, Airline Ratings says it is made up of a team of aviation editors “who have forensically researched nearly every airline in the world”.

Turkish Airlines unveils Unesco-themed amenity kits

Turkish Airlines has unveiled an amenity kits collection for its business class passengers. Called the Unesco Turkiye Series, the collection is inspired by the country's six Unesco World Heritage sites – Nemrut, Gobeklitepe, Cappadocia, Ephesus, Ani and Troy. Kits featuring four different ebru or Turkish marbling patterns, as well as three traditional carpet-rug motifs, are also included in the collection.

Developed in collaboration with the Turkish National Commission for Unesco, each set is designed to be a memorable travel keepsake combining Anatolian history and artist heritage with contemporary design elements.

Different versions of the new kits will also be introduced by the end of the month for economy class flights lasting more than eight hours.

Pakistan International Airlines resumes flights to Europe

Pakistan's state-run airline has resumed direct flights to Europe following a four-year ban over safety standards.

The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight from Islamabad to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris on Friday was fully booked with more than 300 passengers, the airline said.

Defence minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, who inaugurated the twice-a-week flight, said the airline will expand its operations to other European countries soon.

The curb on the airline was imposed in 2020 after 97 people died when a PIA plane crashed in Karachi in southern Pakistan. Then-aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan said an investigation into the crash found that nearly a third of Pakistani pilots had cheated on their exams. A government probe later concluded that the crash was caused by pilot error.

Emirates set to become world's first Autism-Certified Airline

Emirates is hoping to make air travel less daunting for people with autism and sensory sensitivities by becoming the world's first Autism-Certified Airline. The certification is awarded by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards.

It is expected to be made official in the coming months, now that 30,000 Emirates cabin crew and ground staff have completed initial training. The airline also plans to roll out new services that will improve the on-ground and in-flight travel experience for both customers on the autism spectrum and their families and companions.

In 2023, Emirates trained more than 24,000 of its cabin crew and ground staff to help passengers with autism enjoy a stress-free journey. It also announced it had implemented additional measures to help passengers during the flight.

In April last year, the airline achieved a certified autism centre designation for all four of its Dubai check-in facilities, including its dedicated hub at Terminal 3.

Services are set to be introduced this year, including the introduction of “sensory guides” or digital aids, to help travellers measure sensory inputs in public areas such as sound levels, lighting and potential sights and smells.

Neurodiverse sensory products are also set to be introduced, including sensory fidget toys or aids that can encourage focus, help to de-stress and reduce self stimulatory behaviour.

UAE ranks 10th on world's most powerful passports list

The UAE has retained its position as one of the world's most powerful passports. The annual Henley Passport Index places the Emirati passport on the 10th position, with visa-free access to 185 countries. For the second year in a row, it is the only Arab country in the Top 10.

Last year, the UAE ranked at No 9 along with Estonia and Lithuania.

The Henley Passport Index has been tracking global freedoms in 227 countries and territories around the world for the past 19 years, using data from the International Air Transport Association, known as IATA. It is compiled by Henley & Partners, a British investment migration consultancy headquartered in London.

"The UAE is one of the biggest climbers on the index over the past decade, having secured access to an additional 72 destinations since 2015, enabling it to climb 32 places to 10th spot with visa-free access to 185 destinations worldwide," a spokesperson for Henley & Partners said.

Singapore reclaims its crown as the most powerful passport in the world with visa-free access to 195 out of 227 destinations worldwide. Japan is in second place with a score of 193.

France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Finland and South Korea share third place with 192 destinations. Fourth place is shared by a seven-nation EU cohort – Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden – with free visa access to 191 countries. Five countries – Belgium, New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland and the UK – share the fifth place with 190 visa-free destinations.

Australia and Greece come in sixth, with 189 destinations, while Canada, Malta and Poland rank seventh with 188 destinations. On eighth place are Czechia and Hungary with 187 destinations, while the US and Estonia share ninth place with 185 visa-free destinations.

The UAE shares the tenth place with Lithuania, Latvia and Slovenia.