Separated by the narrowest of margins,  an annual survey has confirmed the world’s safest airline.

Air New Zealand has just pipped Qantas by 1.5 points to come out on top.

The Kiwi carrier is in talks with Canberra airport for direct flights to and from the National Capital.

The survey comes from AirlineRatings.com  which took into account a variety of factors including serious incidents, recent fatal accidents,  audits from industry and governing bodies, profitability, fleet age, pilot training and safety initiatives.

However,  things like bird strikes, turbulence injuries, weather diversions and lightning strikes were left out as airlines don’t have control over these circumstances.

A serious incident this week involving a JAL Airbus A-350 Jet which collided with a Coastguard aircraft at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport won’t be part of the equation until next year’s result.

The plane caught fire but all passengers and crew were evacuated.

Those onboard the Coastguard plane died.

12 Australians on the J-A-L flight survived

Website Editor Geoffrey Thomas says the top 25 are stand-outs but Air New Zealand was voted #1 due to the airline’s focus on safety and it excelled across a broad range of determining factors.

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The Top 25 are as follows:

AIR NEW ZEALAND

QANTAS

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA,

ETIHAD,

QATAR

EMIRATES

ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS

FINNAIR

CATHAY PACRIFIC

ALASKA

S.A.S.

KOREAN AIR,

SINGAPORE,

EVA Air

BRITISH AIRWAYS

TURKISH AIRLINES

TAP Air Portugal

LUFTHANSA/SWISS GROUP

KLM

JAPAN AIRLINES

HAWAIIAN AIRLINES

AMERICAN AIRLINES

AIR FRANCE

AIR CANADA GROUP

UNITED AIRLINES.