Airline travel is traditionally an extremely safe mode of transport, and despite everything, it is unlikely that you will ever be involved in a plane crash, let alone killed in one. However, if you want to better your odds, then these are the airlines you want to book your flights with – airlines that, in spite of making millions of flights between them, have successfully minimised major accidents. Airlines that will, no doubt, be anxious to preserve that excellent record for as long as possible.
So how would such a judgmental calculation be made? And who would make it? Well, the source is an unlikely one. The Australian franchise of the popular worldwide men’s lifestyle website AskMen compiled this top 10 list, from every international airline, cross referenced against those with the fewest accidents since 1985 and then against those with most the most flights.
Here is their top 10 selection:
10. Cathay Pacific
The Hong Kong-based carrier was founded in 1946 and its last fatal accident was in 1972. Since then it has made over one million flights without incident. The company serves more than 100 destinations in 36 different countries, and in 2009 flew almost 25 million passengers safely to different places around the globe.
Equal 8. TAP Portugal
In joint eighth place is the national carrier of Portugal, whose last major accident was in 1977. Flying for 65 years, it serves over 30 different countries and makes an average of 1600 flights per week. Perhaps one of its highest points was in 1982, being entrusted with flying Pope John Paul II on his first trip to Portugal. In 2009, nine million passengers did the same.
Equal 8. Aerolineas Argentinas
The second of our eighth-placed entrants, and the only South American carrier on this list, is Aerolineas Argentinas. The company can trace its origins back to the 1920s and narrowly survived bankruptcy in the 1990s, with the government taking back ownership two year ago. Despite all this turmoil, the company has ensured that it has remained exceedingly safe for passengers, with no fatal events since 1970. There was, however, one incident of food contaminated with cholera in 1992.
7. Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand has been in operation since 1965. Its last accident occurred in 1979, and since then, over 1.5 million flights have passed without fatalities. It regularly wins awards from both consumer and industry panels, and annually carries about 12 million passengers.
6. Aer Lingus
While a small airline, Aer Lingus is the oldest carrier still in operation in Ireland, having been founded in 1936. It currently flies to Europe, Africa and North America. It has gone over 40 years since a fatal accident, and is approaching two million flights since then. Even when we incorporate non-fatal incidents, the last event of note was in 1986. It carriers an estimated 10 million passengers per year.
5. Finnair
With no fatal accidents for almost 50 years Finnair has a remarkable record. While it has been known as Finnair since 1953, its origins are in the 1920s. It is one of the oldest airlines still in operation, and is unique in that it actually flies through the Arctic for much shorter routes to Asia, and flies to 55 international destinations carrying around 10 million passengers.
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