Air New Zealand receives flying colours for safety

The national carrier is the world's second best airline for its safety record. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Air New Zealand has scored second in a list of airlines with the best safety record in 2016.

Cathay Pacific retained its spot as the carrier with the best safety record, according to the study by the Jet Airliner Crash Data Evaluation Centre (JACDEC), carried out for air industry magazine Aero International. T

Air New Zealand is second, Hainan Airlines third and Qatar Airways fourth.

The JACDEC researchers make their calculations based on an airline's record, cross-referenced with the number of accidents and total losses, over the span of 30 years.