According to a survey conducted by AirlineRatings, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the country's national carrier, and a few other airlines have been named the worst airlines in the world in terms of safety. The ranking system assigns stars to airlines based on four criteria.
AirlineRatings ranking gave the lowest one-star rating to PIA. In addition to Pakistan International Airlines, six other airlines have received a one-star safety rating -- Air Algerie, Iran Aseman Airlines, Sriwijaya Air, Scat, Airblue and Blue Wing.
Airlines receive three stars if they avoid fatalities throughout the term, two stars if they avoid significant events, and one star if they pass audits and follow COVID-19 norms, according to AirlineRatings. The best air carrier gets a 7-star rating.
Pakistan International Airlines reported several fatal crashes
A Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A320 crashed in a crowded area in Karachi on its second landing attempt in 2020, killing 100 people. In recent years, PIA has had multiple mishaps involving smoke warnings and engine failures and runway incursions and loss of separations.
Last January, an Indonesian airline, Sriwijaya Air, lost 62 passengers and crew members when one of its Boeing 737-500 planes crashed shortly after take-off from Jakarta.
In 2018, Iran Aseman Airlines' ATR 72-200 plane crashed into the Zagros Mountains in Iran, killing all 66 people on board. An Air Algerie MD-83 travelling from Paris to Algiers crashed in northern Mali in July 2014, killing all 116 people on board.
In January 2013, SCAT Airlines, based in Kazakhstan, lost 21 passengers and crew and a Bombardier CRJ200. Last but not least, Blue Wings Airlines of Suriname lost an Antonov An-28 and 19 persons when their landing at Lawa Antino Airport in Benzdorp, Suriname, went wrong in 2008.
Only Air Algerie obtained the audit tick out of the seven one-star airlines. The airline is evaluated based on how well it adheres to IATA's Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) regime. This entails a review of the company's operational management and control systems. IOSA, on the other hand, is voluntary, and not every airline participates.
Following the crash of Pakistan International Airlines Flight 8303 in 2020, the airline was barred from flying to the European Union and the United States. There are currently 96 airlines on the EU's blacklist, and over 20 countries' airlines are barred from flying in the United States. AirlineRatings rated 230 airlines for the ranking.
