World's Deadliest Airplane Crashes and the Airlines with the Most Accidents

By CCH Admin 15 Jun, 2025 13 mins read 9 views

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World's Deadliest Airplane Crashes and the Airlines with the Most Accidents

Explore the history of major airplane crashes worldwide and discover which airlines have recorded the highest number of accidents and fatalities to date.

While air travel remains one of the safest modes of transportation today, aviation history has witnessed some devastating crashes. In this blog, we explore the deadliest airplane disasters, recent tragedies, and the airlines that have experienced the most fatal incidents over time.

Table of contents [Show]

📉 1. Recent Major Airplane Crashes
📊 2. Airlines with the Most Accidents (All-Time)
- 🚨 By Total Number of Crashes:
- 💥 By Total Fatalities:
🕵️‍♂️ 3. Other Airlines with Notable Records
💡 4. Why These Numbers Can Be Misleading
✅ 5. Final Takeaway: Which Airline Has the Most Crashes?

📉 1. Recent Major Airplane Crashes

Air India Flight 171 (2025) – Crashed near Ahmedabad, 241 of 242 on board perished.
China Eastern Flight 5735 (2022) – Boeing 737-800 crash killed all 132 people.
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 (2019) – 737 MAX 8 crash killed 157.
Lion Air Flight 610 (2018) – 189 killed in Java Sea.
Malaysia Airlines MH17 (2014) – Shot down over Ukraine; 298 died.
Air France Flight 447 (2009) – Atlantic Ocean crash; 228 dead.
Japan Airlines Flight 123 (1985) – 520 fatalities, worst single-aircraft crash.
Tenerife Disaster (1977) – Collision killed 583, worst aviation disaster ever.
Charkhi Dadri Collision (1996) – 349 dead in mid-air crash over India.

This contains: A plane crash 3

📊 2. Airlines with the Most Accidents (All-Time)

🚨 By Total Number of Crashes:

Airline	Total Crashes
American Airlines	11
Air France	11
China Airlines	9
Korean Air	9
Pakistan Int’l Airlines	8
United Airlines	7
Ethiopian Airlines	6
EgyptAir	6
Thai Airways	6

💥 By Total Fatalities:

Airline	Approx. Fatalities
American Airlines	~858
China Airlines	~760
Korean Air	~586
Air India	~542
Malaysia Airlines	~537
Japan Airlines	~520
Ethiopian Airlines	~407

⚠️ Note: These numbers include historical and geopolitical incidents like war-related shootdowns and may not reflect airline safety today.

🕵️‍♂️ 3. Other Airlines with Notable Records

Aeroflot (Soviet-era) – Estimated 125+ crashes, over 8,000 deaths.
Nepal Airlines – Approx. 14–16 crashes since 1958.
SriLankan Airlines – Reportedly 12 fatal incidents.

💡 4. Why These Numbers Can Be Misleading

Older airlines have longer records.
Flight volume matters — bigger fleets mean more exposure.
Not all crashes are due to pilot or airline error (e.g., terrorism, military conflict).
Aviation safety has improved drastically since the 2000s.

✅ 5. Final Takeaway: Which Airline Has the Most Crashes?

By total crashes: American Airlines & Air France (11 each).
By fatalities: American Airlines (~858), China Airlines (~760), Korean Air (~586).

Still, modern aviation is statistically safer than ever. These historical records serve to highlight how far the industry has come in ensuring passenger safety.