These 38 Airlines Have the Lowest Airline Safety Ratings

When thinking about the range of qualities we look for in an airline, the ability to deliver us to our destination alive is at the top of the list (just slightly edging out leg room). Safety is primary when flying: we want to travel on airlines that are rigorous about safety inspections, use innovative navigation technology, and adhere to basic best practices, like making sure the plane is heading in the right direction and closing all doors before taking off.

Unfortunately, some airlines--as per the ratings listed on AirlineRatings.com--have some work to do. The aviation safety-focused website performs a comprehensive analysis of data from several international aviation and government sources and gives every airline they monitor a numerical rating from 1 to 7. (Airlines that receive a 7 are considered the safest; those that receive a 1 are the least safe.) The ratings are based on several factors, including whether or not the airline is FAA-endorsed, if it meets International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) safety standards, and whether it operates only Russian-built aircrafts (which, apparently, automatically earns an air carrier a demerit).

So which airlines flunked this evaluation? Here's a list of all the carriers that received a 3 or lower, divided by rating and how likely we'd be to fly on them:

That's Okay, I'll Pass (Rating: 3)

Afriqiyah

Air Bagan

AirAsia Thailand

AirAsia Zest

Avia Traffic Company

Bangkok Air

Camair-Co

Cambodia Angkor Air

Drukair Royal Bhutan

FastJet

Felix Airways

Fly540

Garuda Indonesia

JetStar Pacific

LAM

Libyan Airlines

Nauru Airlines

Orient Thai Airlines

Polynesian Airlines

Scat

Somon Air

Tajik Air

Definitely Not (Rating: 2)

Airlines PNG

Ariana Afghan Airlines

Blue Wing

Daallo Airlines

Kam Air

NOK Air

Not If You Paid Me (Rating: 1)

Batik Air

Citilink

KalStar Aviation

Lion Air

Nepal Airlines

Sriwijaya Air and Nam Air

Tara Air

TransNusa

Wings Air

Xpress Air