Aeroflot, founded on this day in 1923, is one of the world’s safest airlines. The website AirlineRatings.com – which judges the vulnerability of carriers according to a number of criteria – gives it the maximum seven stars , placing it alongside the likes of Qantas and BA (and ahead of Ryanair) in its latest ratings. The Russian airline has been involved in just one fatal accident in the past 20 years.

But it wasn’t always thus. Aeroflot’s safety record was once the stuff of nervous fliers’ nightmares – and the numbers are truly staggering.

During 1973 alone, it was involved in 27 incidents in which a total of 780 people lost their lives, according to the Aviation Safety Network.

In 1974, there were another 21, while in 1975 the figure fell to 19. But 1976 was a real annus horribilis, with a total of 33 accidents or major incidents.

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In fact, as the graph below shows, barely a Cold War year went by when scores of travellers didn’t spend their final moments strapped into an Aeroflot seat. Its planes fell from the sky with unerring consistency.

Aeroflot’s Cold War safety record

That’s a total of 721 incidents in 44 years. Yes, Aeroflot wasn’t the only airline to suffer during the Sixties and Seventies – the deadliest decades for flying. But it was involved in far more than any other.

The Aircraft Crashes Record Office reports 8,231 passengers have died in Aeroflot crashes. Air France is next on its list, with 1,783, followed by Pan Am (1,645), American (1,442), United (1,211) and TWA (1,077).

A poster for Dobrolyot, which became Aeroflot in 1923 Photo: I. V. Simakov

Why was Aeroflot so accident prone? Its sheer size was a major factor. Aeroflot was once the only airline in operation throughout the whole of the Soviet Union and by the mid-Sixties it was already carrying a remarkable 60 million passengers a year. At the height of the 1970 summer holiday season, it was flying 400,000 passengers a day. By comparison, Pan Am welcomed just 11 million passengers throughout the whole of 1970. Aeroflot’s figures grew yet further to 100 million in 1976, more than the likes of easyJet (62 million in 2014) and Ryanair (86 million in 2014) carry today.

Aeroflot was once the only airline in operation throughout the whole of the Soviet Union Photo: ALAMY

Its all-Russian fleet was another factor. The reliability of Russian aircraft can be summed up by the fact that AirlineRatings.com continues to deduct a star for any airline that operates using only Russian built aircraft. Marks are also lost if the airline is not audited by IATA (International Air Transport Association), is not endorsed by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration), is on the EU’s blacklist or has had a fatal accident in the last decade.

The Tupolev Tu-154 was retired in 2009 Photo: ALAMY

Back in 2013, AirlineRatings.com released a list of the 10 least safe aircraft models. Topping the chart was the Czech LET410, introduced in 1970, but five Russian aircraft were also present, including a staple of Aeroflot’s Cold War fleet – the Tupolev Tu-154. Wikipedia lists more than 50 major incidents involving this model, eight involving Aeroflot, and 39 of which resulted in the loss of lives.

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The Nineties were the turning point. The breakup of the Soviet Union saw Aeroflot rapidly shrink, dividing into a number of smaller regional airlines (it carried just 5.9 million passengers in 2003, although it has since expanded to 26 million passengers a year). In 1994, the same year the Russian government sold off 49 per cent of its stake in the airline, Aeroflot was involved in nine incidents or accidents. That fell to just two for both 1995 and 1996. Since then, it has been as safe as houses, barring, that is, the 2008 crash of Aeroflot Flight 821, due to pilot error – and possible alcohol consumption.

Those Soviet aircraft have been replaced by Western-built jets. The Tupolev Tu-154 was retired in 2009, and its fleet now consists almost exclusively of Airbus and Boeing aircraft, including 777s and A330s, both rated among the safest models by AirlineRatings.com.

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Its efforts to redefine itself as a modern and reliable aircraft extended to hiring rebranding consultants in the early 2000s. In 2013 it scored the coup of an official partnership with Manchester United and it even gave its cabin crew uniform a makeover – though the hammer-and-sickle logo remains.

The 10 airlines awarded just 1* for safety (in alphabetical order)

Batik Air Bluewing Airlines Citilink Kal-Star Aviation Lion Air Sriwijaya Air TransNusa Trigana Air Service Wings Air Xpress Air

In 2013 it scored the coup of an official partnership with Manchester United Photo: GETTY

The six airlines awarded 2*

Airlines PNG Ariana Afghan Airlines Blue Wing Airlines Daallo Airlines Kam Air Nok Air

The 22 airlines awarded 3*