I happen to be one of those fortunate people that like to fly and I even get excited about flying obscure domestic airlines within Africa. But a recent BBC report African Blitz on Flying Coffins makes me think it's probably a good idea to do some research before I buy my next ticket on Sudan Airways. The article was written in response to the recent spate of airline crashes in Nigeria. The BBC reports that Africa accounts for only 4% of global air traffic but 27% of all air crashes.

Although there are many African airlines that have never crashed, some have indeed crashed more than others. Russian built planes in particular seem to have safety issues. There's a handy tool on planecrashinfo.com where you can look up any airline's crash record.

But remember a past history of accidents doesn't necessarily mean one airline is safer than another. Regardless, your chances of dying in a plane crash are still about 8 million to one which makes it a lot safer than driving.