Air New Zealand has been named one of the world's 10 safest airlines.
Photo: RNZ
International aviation website AirlineRatings.com said it had gone from being an airline that no one knew anything about in 2000 to a global player punching well above its weight.
Qantas tops the list as the world's safest airline, and the rest of the top 10 - in no particular order- included Emirates, Cathay Pacific, British Airways and Singapore Airlines along with New Zealand's national carrier.
The website's editor Geoffrey Thomas called Air New Zealand an innovator in the industry.
The rating system used by the site took into account a variety of factors, including fatality records and audits by aviation's governing bodies.