The Most Dangerous Airline

 

No.10 - Garuda

As the national airline of Indonesia, this is an airline that has had its share of problems, which culminated in it being banned from flying to the EU in 2007. It was removed from the EU blacklist in 2009, and has recently resumed flights to Amsterdam. It was also named as one of the world’s most improved airlines in 2010. Despite this, over the years Garuda has suffered a number of accidents with fatal consequences. The worst was undoubtedly in 1997, when forest fires impacted visibility, causing a plane to crash in mountainous terrain, killing 234 people.

Completed flights: 2 million Fatal accidents: 4 Deaths: 431

No.9 - Thai Airways

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of this airline. Thai Airways is the largest airline in Thailand, and has won several major awards including “Best Cabin Crew” and “Best Airline in the World” in 2006, and was runner-up in ”Airline of the Year” in 2007. It has also been commended for its excellent in-flight hygiene by the World Health Organization. But in the 1980s and 1990s in particular, Thai Airways was something to be avoided, with several fatal accidents occurring. Its greatest tragedy was in 1992, as a flight from Kathmandu crashed, killing 113 people.

Completed flights: 1.98 million Fatal accidents: 4 Deaths: 352

No.8 - Avianca

Avianca has the longest continuous history in aviation in the Western hemisphere, beginning way back in 1919 when flight was in its infancy. It has one of the most modern fleets in South America, but its reputation has been tarnished by several tragedies. Colombian gang warfare has also contributed to attacks on Avianca flights, when it was assumed a rival gang member was on board. In 1989, a bomb exploded on takeoff, killing 107 people. But 1983 was the worst accident it suffered, with a crash in Madrid that killed 181 of the people on board.

Completed flights: 1.47 million Fatal accidents: 4 Deaths: 500

 

No.7 - Pakistan International Airlines

As the state-owned airline of Pakistan, this company flies to over 25 different countries. The company formed in the 1950s, when Pakistan was still a nascent country. It was also highly innovative, becoming the first Asian carrier to use jet aircraft, in 1960. Once again, however, this is an airline that has suffered from several major incidents, the worst of which was in 1992 on a flight to Nepal. The flight was at an altitude of 400 meters lower than it should have been in cloudy conditions. The pilots failed to see the mountainous terrain in front of them in time, leading to 167 fatalities.

 

Completed flights: 1.43 million Fatal accidents: 5 Deaths: 440

 

No.6 - Egyptair

Egyptair is the largest airline company in Africa, flying to more than 70 destinations across the globe. It was also estimated to have carried nearly eight million passengers in 2007, demonstrating that this is a very experienced airline. Since the 1970s, though, Egyptair has had its share of misfortunes, including terrorist attacks. By far the worst event was a flight from JFK airport in New York to Cairo. An investigation determined that pilot error caused the plane to crash into the Atlantic Ocean, killing everyone on the plane (a total of 217 people).

Completed flights: 1.07 million Fatal accidents: 4 Deaths: 402

 

No.5 - Kenya Airways

This is one of the least experienced carriers on this list, and while it has only suffered from two fatal accidents, the fact that is has made relatively few flights make it statistically more dangerous than other carriers. Kenya Airways began operations in 1977, presumably seeking to make the most of a growing tourist industry, and has a fleet of around 30 planes. The two accidents it has had have taken place in the last decade, both on night flights. The first, in 2000, ditched in the Atlantic, killing 169 people. The second, in 2007, crashed in swampland, and 114 lives were lost.

Completed flights: 450,000 Fatal accidents: 2 Deaths: 283

 

No.4 - Philippine Airlines

Founded in 1941, this is the national carrier of the Philippines. If it wasn’t for a series of terrorist incidents, this airline probably would not appear on this list. Unfortunately, it seems to fall victim to attacks far more often than most airlines. There have been at least three bombs and one hijacking in its 70-year history. Despite this catalog of misfortune, a small crumb of comfort is the relatively low number of deaths -- the worst tragedy saw the plane disintegrate after a suspected bomb explosion in a lavatory, killing 36 people.

Completed flights: 1.18 million Fatal accidents: 6 Deaths: 107

 

No.3 - Iran Air

Iran Air was formed from the merger of two other airlines in 1962, and was a major international carrier in the 1960s and 1970s. However, after the Iranian Revolution in 1979, flights to a number of international destination were discontinued, and in 2010 the European Commission announced that safety concerns meant the carrier was banned from the EU. These safety concerns are evidently not without merit -- the airline had three major accidents in the last 10 years (one which had no casualties) and three others since 1980, including one incident in 1988 that killed nearly 300 people.

Completed flights: 970,000 Fatal accidents: 5 Deaths: 708

 

No.2 - China Airlines

China Airlines is actually based in Taiwan, and its origins can be traced back to 1959, when it began as a state-owned carrier. It has had, to put it mildly, a series of unfortunate events, and has an extremely high number of casualties. The worst of these took place in 2002 on a flight between Taiwan and Hong Kong. The aircraft crashed into the sea, wiping out 225 people. The blame was placed on inadequate repair work to damage sustained as far back as 1980. To compound this tragedy, the company was due to get rid of the aircraft the following month.

Completed flights: 910,000 Fatal accidents: 6 Deaths: 763

 

 

No.1 - Cubana Airlines

In short, this airline has the worst safety record of any international carrier in the world. Its fleet is a reminder of Cuba’s relationship with the Soviet Union, comprised as it is of plane models such as the Antonov and the Iliushin. The airline has a far lower number of flights between accidents than any other on our list, although the last fatal accident took place back in 1999. Despite plans to replace its entire fleet with new aircraft over the coming years, this is definitely one company whose safety announcements you want to pay attention to.

Completed flights: 320,000 Fatal accidents: 8 Deaths: 404