8 Most Dangerous Airlines in the World
Airplane crashes are fearful for almost everyone, even when they aren’t generally afraid of flying. It’s generally assumed if a plane goes down, there is little chance for survival.
Airlines in America and Europe tend to be safer than those in other countries around the world, partly due to the strict regulations imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration and the European Commission.
These standards have led both entities to ban airlines from certain countries that don’t meet these stringent safety standards.
Still, when you’re trying to catch a cheap flight while traveling from small country to small country, you may be inclined to take an airline that isn’t so high on the safety list.
Before you do that, check out this list of 8 of the most dangerous airlines in the world:
1) Garuda Airlines
Garuda Airlines was banned by the EU in 2007, but continued to fly in and out of Australia. Photo by Deanster1983.
Banned by the EU in 2007, the Australian government had to decide whether or not they would continue to let Garuda Airlines fly from Australia to Bali and Jakarta following a devastating crash.
Australian politicians urged the Indonesian government to file criminal charges against the pilots who ignored 15 alerts before the March 2007 crash.
Another incident occurred in May 2008 where Garuda pilots refused to listen to the control tower and landed on a closed runway that construction workers were fixing. Later that year, they had another issue with flying too low before reaching the runway.
2) Ariana Airlines
Ariana is often referred to as “Scariana.” Photo by spotterjohnsen.
Even though you probably won’t be flying in or out of Afghanistan anytime soon, in case you do, Ariana Airlines - often referred to as “Scariana” - is probably not the way you want to go.
According to Robert Young Pelton at National Geographic, the “ancient 727s” usually have half the seats missing, and there are more planes crashing than flying in the air.
3) Kazak Airlines
Kazak Airlines was part of the worst midair collision in history. Photo by karrikas.
The EU also blacklisted all but one of the airlines from Kazakhstan (best known for its central theme in the Borat movies) in 2009, including Kazak Airlines.
This may have a little something to do with the fact that Kazak Airlines was part of the worst midair collision of all time in 1996.
It struck a Saudi Arabian jumbo jet whilst approaching New Dehli airport, killing all 351 passengers on-board. This was due to the plane being nearly 1,000 feet below the altitude it was instructed to be at by Indian air traffic controllers.
4) Sudan Airways
Sudan Airways experienced a tragedy in 2008 where 23 people died. Photo by Deanster1983.
Call it bad luck, but when a passenger plane bursts into flames, the image of an airline becomes permanently tarnished.
This is what happened to Sudan Airways in 2008 when the engine caught fire whilst taxi-ing on the runway. 23 people died and 53 people were never found.
The International Civil Aviation Organization reported in October 2008 that 21 major accidents had occurred to Sudan airline operators over the past 5 years, with Sudan Airways featuring on the list.
5) Cubana Airlines
Cubana Airlines could hold the worst safety record in the world. Photo by hellosputnik.
Between 1985 and 2009, Cubana Airlines had eight accidents that included fatalities.
This, according to several sources, means the airline holds the worst safety record in the world. Still, the amount of crashes/accidents doesn’t paint the full picture, since safety records also depend on how many flights have occurred and how many people have flown.
The “Adjusted Fatal Event” score, which adjusts the number of air crashes depending on the percentage of passengers that died in them, for Cubana Airlines is 5.23. American Airlines is 4.04.
6) Iran Air
Iran Air has issues with updating their planes due in part to US sanctions. Photo by Daniel García Peris.
Three of the four accidents that occurred with old Russian Tupolev Tu-154 planes in Iran in the last 16 years happened on Iran Air.
In 1993, 132 people died in a collision with another plane; 2002 brought 118 deaths as a plane crashed into the side of a mountain during stormy weather; 28 passengers died into 2006 when a plane burst into flames after landing.
Iranian officials blame US sanctions for their inability to purchase new planes and parts to properly fix older planes.
7) Philippine Airlines
Philippine Airlines has been banned in both the US and the EU. Photo by contri.
In 2008, all of the Philippine airline operations were downgraded to a Category 2 rating by the US Federal Aviation Administration due to “serious concerns” about the oversight of their operations.
This meant that none of the airlines from the Philippines were allowed to fly into the US.
The only airline this restriction really impacted was Philippine Airlines, as they were the only airline previously flying into the States. They were also impacted by the EU ban put in place in 2010.
8) Any airline out of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
Flying regional planes in the Congo is not recommended. Photo byJulien Harneis.
As you can see in this report, 34 of the airlines from the DRC are banned from flying into Europe. It is generally not recommended to fly any local plane in or out of the region.
What’s the worst airline you’ve ever flown with? Let me know in the comments.
If you liked this, you might also like: Aircraft Safety: Man vs Machine by Captain Alan Price.
Main image: Plane crashes don’t happen as often as car accidents, but they often seem much deadlier. Photo by walkinguphills.
Related reading: If bad airlines are a concern, also check out our guide to the world's most extreme and terrifying airports - from a beach runway used at low tide to a cliff-edge strip in Nepal.