The last 40 years have seen continual engineering advancement that solidifies aviation as the safest form of transportation. However, with the actual numbers of air passengers and flights increasing at an exponential rate, you could be forgiven for questioning the statistical evidence.
Recent years have seen multiple aircraft hull losses in the news headlines. British Airways are considered a very safe airline but a relatively short memory will remember images of flight BA38 from Beijing that crash landed at Heathrow in 2008, or the stark images of a British Airways 777 on fire at Las Vegas in 2015. Emirates are another airline who have quietly moved on from the negative PR they received after a Boeing 777 crash landing at Dubai In 2016.
LONDON – JANUARY 19: Investigators inspect wreckage and debris from grounded British Airways flight 038 from China at Heathrow Airport on January 19, 2008 in London, England. Investigators continue to examine the wreckage of the Boeing 777 which is
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Thankfully there were no fatalities on the aircraft from these particular incidents but unfortunately there have also been dozens of fatal accidents over the last decade. Examples include the two recent Boeing 737-MAX disasters, images of an Aeroflot aircraft bouncing down the runway in Moscow engulfed in flames and then of course the two Malaysia Airlines crashes.
Despite these incidents, major airlines remain relatively very safe. However, there are some airlines that have a safety record that scales from average to absolutely terrible. If you find yourself on the airlines below, ignore everything written above, and assume you’re either flying to a very remote location where you had no other choice, or that you just wanted to book the cheapest fare. Many of the world’s most dangerous airlines are banned from flying into both the USA and the EU, and if the aviation authorities are telling you this, it’s probably with justified reasoning.
MOSCOW REGION, RUSSIA – AUGUST 23, 2019: An aerial view of the Ural Airlines’ Airbus A321 jet airliner after the crash landing in a corn field near Zhukovsky International Airport on August 15, its fore-body being dismantled; the left wing and the
Marina Lystseva/TASS
AirlineRatings.com have published their list of the most dangerous airlines in the world based on a rating system of seven stars. Factors such as fatalities over the last decade, country blacklists and International Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit certificates (IOSA) all play a factor in how the airlines are rated. None of the airlines below attained any more than two out of seven stars.
Tara Air
Tara Air managed to accumulate just one out of seven stars. Multiple fatal accidents in 2010 and 2011 have not assisted this Nepalese based carrier’s rating which operates a fleet of eight aircraft in and out of the dangerous mountainous approaches in Nepal.
Nepal Airlines
Nepal has seen nine fatal accidents over the last eight years. Statistically, flying in the mountainous kingdom is relatively dangerous. Nepal Airlines has been flying since 1958 under the name Royal Nepal Airlines, and its safety record leaves a lot to be desired. Accumulating just one star, Nepal Airlines is banned from flying to the EU. Although the last 20 years has seen a vast improvement in the airline’s safety record, a fatal accident in 2014 resulted in 18 fatalities.
Kathmandu’s “Tribhuvan” International Airport (TIA) in Nepal at an elevation of 1338m high. There are flights connecting the airport to Europe, Middle East, Asia and domestic, specially during the high touristic season. The airport is a hub
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Ariana Afghan Airlines
Serving as Afghanistan’s national carrier, Ariana has just five aircraft in their current fleet and a disproportionately stagering record of 19 aircraft being written off during its history, including seven fatal incidents.
Bluewing Airlines
Bluewing are based in the small South American nation of Suriname. The loss of three different Antonov An-28 aircraft over a three year period has found the airline banned over European airspace, which includes neighbouring French territory French Guiana.
EJERE, ETHIOPIA – MARCH 13: A bouquet of flowers is placed in front of a pile of debris at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash on March 13, 2019 in Ejere, Ethiopia. All 157 passengers and crew perished after the Ethiopian Airlines
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Kam Air
Kam Air finds itself in exclusive company at the bottom of this safety list, with just 3 other one star airlines for company. This Afghanistan based airline finds itself banned from US airspace, and when Kam attempted to fly to the EU in 2010 they found themselves banned from there too after incidents that included a fatal accident and a seperate bomb threat.
Trigana Air Service
With 10 hull losses and 14 accidents involving Trigana operated aircraft, it is no wonder that the Indonesian airline was only awarded a one star rating. Like it’s peers on this list, Trigana is also banned from EU and US airspace.
SCAT Airlines
This Kazakhstan based airline has an unimpressive safety record, however it has not seen a fatal accident since 2013. Although SCAT doesn’t operate with an internationally recognised safety audit certificate, the airline is making huge improvements to be internationally recognised and operate safely.
