Aircraft/Boeing
Is the Boeing 747-400 safe?
The honest safety record for the Boeing 747-400, straight from the accident data. Context, not spin.
Informational only. Not safety, operational, or travel advice. These are estimates from public records, provided as-is; see our terms & disclaimer.
0.61
modelled fatal rate / million flights
6.0M
flights flown since 1989
6 / 10
fatal accidents / hull losses on record
The rate is the model's shrinkage-adjusted estimate, the same figure used in a flight's score, not a raw count ÷ flights ratio. See the methodology.
Specifications
What the record shows
The most successful 747 generation, passenger and freighter. Six fatal accidents across a long, high-cycle service life since 1989, all genuine (e.g. Singapore 006, a takeoff on a closed runway, and several cargo fires). Classic 747-200 shoot-downs and deliberate events are a different variant and are not counted here.
Engine programme: Mature four-engine types (CF6 / PW4000 / RB211).
Who flies the Boeing 747-400, and how old theirs are
Counted from individual airframes in our registry, with build years from public registries and sourced references. An age appears only where we can date at least three of that airline's Boeing 747-400 aircraft; otherwise we say so rather than estimate.
The oldest Boeing 747-400 we can date in an airline fleet was built in 1989, about 37 years ago. The oldest airframes of a type reach every inspection milestone first. How planes are checked
| Airline | In our registry | Average age |
|---|---|---|
| Asiana Airlines | 12 | 30.1 yrs |
| Cathay Pacific | 7 | 19.7 yrs |
| United Airlines | 7 | 30.7 yrs |
| Saudia | 6 | 24.5 yrs |
| Korean Air | 4 | 21 yrs |
| Nippon Cargo Airlines | 4 | 19 yrs |
| China Airlines | 4 | 24.3 yrs |
| Eva Air | 2 | not enough dated |
| Lufthansa | 1 | not enough dated |
| British Airways | 1 | not enough dated |
| Malaysia Airlines | 1 | not enough dated |
| Air China | 1 | not enough dated |