Aircraft/Boeing
Is the Boeing 747-8 safe?
In short: the Boeing 747-8 has no fatal accidents and no hull losses on record. Here is the full picture, with the underlying numbers.
Informational only. Not safety, operational, or travel advice. These are estimates from public records, provided as-is; see our terms & disclaimer.
0.12
modelled fatal rate / million flights
0.6M
flights flown since 2011
0 / 0
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 747-8 is the last and most modern 747, with 155 built between 2010 and 2023 and about two thirds of them freighters. In roughly 600,000 departures it has recorded no fatal accidents and no aircraft written off, a clean record confirmed by Boeing's April 2026 statistical summary. Its most notable safety issue was a cluster of GEnx engine power losses in high-altitude ice-crystal conditions during 2013, addressed by engine and software changes, and every affected aircraft landed safely.
Who flies the Boeing 747-8, 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 747-8 aircraft; otherwise we say so rather than estimate.
The oldest Boeing 747-8 we can date in an airline fleet was built in 2010, about 16 years ago. The oldest airframes of a type reach every inspection milestone first. How planes are checked
| Airline | In our registry | Average age |
|---|---|---|
| Korean Air | 16 | 11.5 yrs |
| Cathay Pacific Airways | 13 | 14 yrs |
| Nippon Cargo Airlines | 8 | 13.9 yrs |
| Qatar Airways | 1 | not enough dated |