German airline safety data evaluation firm JACDEC, the most authoritative airline safety rating firm in the world, released a comprehensive ranking report surveying more than 60 of the world's safest leading airlines with a summarized safety review for 2016 on January 4, 2017. One of highlights of the data is Hainan Airlines, a mainland China-based airline renowned for its five-star hospitality services, which came in third in the latest Airline Safety Ranking, rising from its fifth place ranking in 2015.

Three of the world's top 10 safest airlines are Chinese carriers, with Cathay Pacific Airways coming in at number one, Hainan Airlines, and EVA Air in sixth place. Hainan Airlines is the sole mainland China-based firm among the top 10 list, climbing two notches from its position the previous year.

This is the fifth consecutive year that Hainan Airlines has been on the top 10 list. The move from fifth to third place represents the best-ever ranking for a mainland China-based airline. Hainan Airlines had logged over five million hours of safe flights as of December 2015. The airline also was honored with the "Five-Star Flight Safety Award" by China's aviation watchdog, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

Hainan Airlines safety director Wei Changrong said: "Safety is the most important factor for the civil aviation industry, as we enter another peak travel period during China's Spring Festival holiday. Hainan Airlines' top priority is to make sure that each passenger gets home safely."