If you are one of those frequent travelers who is concerned about air travel safety and risks, we have compiled a list of the 11 airlines with the worst safety records in the developed world, just for you. Safety is naturally considered to be a top priority for all airline operators in the world, due to the fact that fatalities are almost unavoidable in the event of accidents. All aviation regulatory bodies around the world try to impose stringent regulations for operating airlines and ensuring aircraft are thoroughly checked before each flight, thereby ensuring passenger safety. As a result, air travel has become the safest form of transportation in the world in terms of deaths per miles traveled, being safer even than trains.
The Aviation Safety Network (ASN) maintains a database which has descriptions of all air accidents and incidents around the world since 1919. According to this database, 2016 was the second-safest year in terms of air accident fatalities. There were just 19 fatal accidents last year, which claimed the lives of 325 people. That’s an almost mind-bogglingly low number when you consider that auto accidents claim the lives of as many as 1.2-1.3 million people annually, or about 0.02% of the global population each year. Only 2013 had a lower number of air fatalities and is considered to have been the safest year in aviation history.
Despite all the encouraging statistics, accidents happen and lives are lost every year. There are a lot of potential reasons behind aviation incidents, including terror activities (hijackings, bombings, sabotage, etc), airframe-related issues, engine-related issues, pilot errors, etc. There are some factors which cannot be controlled by airlines, especially terror activities. But other factors are largely in control of the airline operators and there are many operators around the world who are considered to be among the safest airlines to fly thanks to their tenacious safety checks which greatly limit the number of incidents that could happen due to controllable factors.
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In this article we intend to list the 11 airlines with the worst safety records in the developed world. So how can we classify safety records? From the passenger’s point of view, any airline which can get them safely to their destination, without incident, would be considered safe, while any incident/accident, even ones that don’t result in harm to any passengers, would be considered an unsafe event that was probably caused due to a lack of oversight.
Every aviation incident/accident (fatal/non-fatal) gets recorded in the Aviation Safety Network’s database, but given that some airlines have been in operation for far longer than others, we can’t simply find those with the most incidents and declare them the most unsafe, or the oldest airlines would unfairly dominate the list. So in order to simplify the search, all incidents/accidents post-2000 have been collected and the airlines are ranked based on the number of fatalities associated with these accidents. The airlines with the greatest number of fatalities in since 2000 can be considered to be the airlines with the worst safety records. For further related reading, check out the list of the 10 most unsafe dangerous airlines in America.
Now then, as the methodology is established, let’s jump into the list of the 11 airlines with the worst safety records in the developed world, beginning on the next page.
11. Asiana Airlines Inc (KRX:020560) (Korea)
Number of Aviation Incidents Since 2000: 6
Number of Fatal Incidents: 2
Total Fatalities: 5
Asiana Airlines is one of the leading airlines in Korea, with a current fleet of 83, which operates more than 90 international and 14 domestic routes. Asiana Airlines started operations in 1988, eventually ending the monopoly created by Korean Air (the leading airline in South Korea), as Korean Air was the only airline operator in the country for two decades. Asiana Airlines has a decent safety record, with just six safety incidents since 2000, though two of them were fatal, killing five people. An Asiana Airlines Boeing 747-400F crashed into the sea off Jeju, South Korea, killing both pilots in 2011. The other fatal occurrence was at San Francisco International Airport during a landing incident involving an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777-200 passenger jet, which killed three passengers.
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10. XL Airways Germany
Number of Aviation Incidents Since 2000: 1
Number of Fatal Incidents: 1
Total Fatalities: 7
XL Airways Germany began its operations in 2006 as Star XL German Airlines and due to re-organization, was renamed XL Airways Germany later that year. XL Airways Germany operates the majority of its charter flights from Frankfurt Airport. XL Airways Germany has a current fleet of five Boeing 737-800 aircraft, operating flights to various European countries. Since its founding in 2006, there has been one fatal accident associated with the airline. An Air New Zealand Airbus 320 was leased to XL Airways Germany and this aircraft crashed into the Mediterranean Sea off the French Coast on November 27, 2008. The crash happened during a technical flight before handing the flight over to Air New Zealand following the completion of the lease, killing three pilots, three aircraft engineers and one Civil Aviation Authority member.
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9. Luxair (Luxembourg)
Number of Aviation Incidents Since 2000: 2
Number of Fatal Incidents: 1
Total Fatalities: 20
Luxair ranks 9th in our list of airlines with the worst safety records in the developed world. It is the only passenger-carrying Full Service Carrier based in Luxembourg, and has been operating since 1948. Luxair has a current fleet size of 17 operating to various destinations within and outside Luxembourg. According to the ASN Database, there have been just two incidents associated with Luxair since 2000, but one of them was fatal, killing 20 people. A Luxair Fokker 50 aircraft encountered a fatal crash in 2002, killing 18 of 19 passengers and two of three flight crew members. Since Luxair began its operations in 1948, there have been just three incidents and only the one fatal incident described above, so it earns a bit of a hard-luck position on this list, as its safety record has otherwise been very good.
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8. Singapore Airlines Ltd. (SGX:C6L)
Number of Aviation Incidents Since 2000: 3
Number of Fatal Incidents: 1
Total Fatalities: 83
Singapore Airlines is the flagship carrier of Singapore, operating international and domestic flights since 1972. Singapore Airlines is one of the world’s largest airlines, ranking 12th in terms of revenue passenger kilometers in December 2016 according to Statista. Singapore Airlines also ranks as the second-largest in the world in terms of market capitalization. Singapore Airlines was also the first buyer of the largest passenger carrier, the A380, and remains one of the few airlines which has an A380 in its fleet. But from a safety point of view, Singapore Airlines has encountered three safety incidents since 2000, with one fatal incident taking the lives of 83 people. In 2000, a Singapore Airlines flight from Singapore to Los Angeles via Taipei encountered a takeoff accident in Taipei, killing 79 passengers and four crew members.
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7. Alaska Airlines – Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)
Number of Aviation Incidents Since 2000: 3
Number of Fatal Incidents: 1
Total Fatalities: 88
Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) is the holding company of Alaska Airlines, and has been serving customers since 1932. Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) also owns the Horizon Air and Virgin America airlines, in addition to Alaska Airlines. Alaska Airlines has a current fleet size of 156, and operates flights to various parts of North America. According to ASN’s Database, Alaska Airlines has suffered eight fatal accidents in total, but only one since 2000, which killed 88 people in 2000. Alaska Airlines flight MD-83 from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to San Francisco encountered a stabilizer trim issue, thereby losing control and crashing into 650-foot-deep water, killing all 83 passengers and five crew members. Due to this heart-breaking incident, Alaska Airlines made it to this list of the 11 airlines with the worst safety records in the developed world.
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6. Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) (Denmark, Norway, Sweden)
Number of Aviation Incidents Since 2000: 10
Number of Fatal Incidents: 1
Total Fatalities: 114
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) ranks 6th in our list of airlines with the worst safety records in the developed world. It is the flagship carrier of Denmark, Norway and Sweden and the leading airline in the Scandinavia region of Northern Europe. SAS was founded in 1946 and currently has a fleet size of 159, with more than 90 destinations in its portfolio. Since 1946, SAS has encountered 28 safety incidents, with four fatal incidents killing 203 people. Since 2000, there have been nine incidents and one fatal accident, which killed 114 people. In 2001, SAS flight MD-87 from Milan, Italy to Copenhagen, Denmark, collided with a Cessna 525-A during takeoff at Milano-Linate Airport, lost control and crashed into a baggage handling building, killing all 104 passengers and six crew members, as well as causing four ground casualties.
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5. Turkish Airlines (Turkey)
Number of Aviation Incidents Since 2000: 11
Number of Fatal Incidents: 2
Total Fatalities: 119
Turkish Airlines ranks 5th in our list of airlines with the worst safety records in the developed world. It is one of the largest airlines in the world and also the flagship carrier of Turkey, founded in 1933. It is the fourth-largest in the world in terms of number destinations, operating flights to more than 290 hotspots in America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Since 2000, Turkish Airlines has faced 11 safety incidents, with a fatality count of 119 from two different incidents, which occurred in 2003 and 2009. In 2003, Turkish Airlines flight Avro RJ 100 from Istanbul International Airport to Diyarbakir Airport crashed upon its attempted landing in Diyarbakir due to poor visibility, killing all five crew members and 70 out of 75 passengers. In 2009, Turkish Airlines flight Boeing 737 from Istanbul to Amsterdam encountered a landing incident resulting in the killing of four out of seven flight crew members and five of 128 passengers. In 2017, a Turkish Airline Cargo aircraft also crashed, killing all four crew members.
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4. Germanwings GmbH
Number of Aviation Incidents Since 2000: 1
Number of Fatal Incidents: 1
Total Fatalities: 150
Up next in our list of airlines with the worst safety records in the developed world is Germanwings GmbH is a German low-cost airline, which is also a subsidiary of Lufthansa Group. Germanwings GmbH, founded in 1997, that has a current fleet size of 59, and covers more than 30 destinations in Europe and other regions. In 2015, a Germanwings GmbH flight from Barcelona to Dusseldorf crashed in Southern France, killing all 144 passengers and six crew members aboard the flight. This lone incident secured Germanwings place on our list unfortunately, due to its high fatality count.
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3. Malaysia Airlines
Number of Aviation Incidents Since 2000: 4
Number of Fatal Incidents: 1
Total Fatalities: 239
Malaysia Airlines ranks third in our list of airlines with the worst safety records in the developed world. It is the flagship carrier of Malaysia with a fleet comprising 75 aircraft and operating flights to more than 57 destinations in Asia and Europe. Malaysia Airlines began operations in 1972 and has encountered five safety incidents since 2000. 2014 was a terrible year for Malaysia Airlines, as it endured two fatal incidents that killed 537 people, though one was out of its control and is not being counted. In March 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 from Malaysia to China disappeared with 12 crew members and 227 passengers, and its disappearance has yet to be solved. The second incident happened just four months later, when flight MH17 from the Netherlands to Malaysia is believed to have been shot down in midair in Ukranian air space, killing all 15 flight crew members and 283 passengers. These two tragic incidents associated with Malaysia Airlines puts it at number one on the list of the 11 airlines with the worst safety records in the developed world.
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2. American Airlines Group Inc (NASDAQ:AAL)
Number of Aviation Incidents Since 2000: 16
Number of Fatal Incidents: 1
Total Fatalities: 265
American Airlines is the world’s largest airline in terms of fleet size, number of destinations covered, revenue generated, and number of flying hours. Founded in 1934, American operates flights to more than 350 destinations and has a current fleet of 946. These whopping numbers indicate that, with its enormous amount of flying hours, American is likely to have more safety incidents than some other airlines as well. Since 2000, American has encountered 16 safety incidents (not including 9/11, which we are discounting), one of which turned out to be fatal, killing 251 passengers, nine crew members and causing five ground casualties. In 2001, an American flight from New York to the Dominican Republic encountered an in-flight failure and crash landed into a residential area in Queens, New York, killing five people on the ground as well as everyone aboard the flight.
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1. Air France KLM SA (ADR) (OTCMKTS:ALFYY)
Number of Aviation Incidents Since 2000: 10
Number of Fatal Incidents: 2
Total Fatalities: 341
We are continuing our list of airlines with the worst safety records in the developed world with Air France, that is also among the top airlines in the world in terms of number of destinations covered. Air France, founded in 1933, operates flights to more than 160 destinations in 90 countries and 36 domestic destinations. Air France has a current fleet size of 232 as of February 2017. Air France is one of the most well regarded airlines in the world, but has encountered a few fatal incidents. Since 2000, Air France has encountered 10 incidents, including two fatal incidents which killed around 341 people. One of its most famous air accidents, which taught the entire aviation industry a costly lesson, happened in 2009. An Air France flight from Rio De Janeiro to Paris crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 12 flight crew members and 216 passengers aboard the plane. In 2000, an Air France flight from Paris to New York crashed into a hotel in Gonesse, France, killing nine flight crew members, 100 passengers and four people in hotel. These two terrible incidents elevated Air France to number one on our list.
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What do you think of our list of the 11 airlines with the worst safety records in the developed world? Do you agree or disagree with this list? Share your thoughts on the list in the comments below.
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