The crash in Amsterdam appears to support the theory that the safest place to sit in a modern aircraft is in, or close to, the emergency exit rows over the wings.

The fuselage of the Boeing 737, the world’s most popular short-haul aircraft, ruptured in two places but the breaks were well away from the wings. The section of fuselage between the wings is reinforced by a very strong steel box, so passengers in this area are less likely to be struck by torn metal and debris.

Passengers near the exits are also able to escape more quickly, and every second counts in the event of a fire.

In the 1995 American Airlines crash that killed 159 people in Colombia, the four survivors were all sitting over the wings.

A study by the University of Greenwich found that between two and five rows from the exit, passengers still have a better than even chance of escaping in a fire but “the difference between surviving and perishing is greatly reduced”. Six or more rows from an exit, “the chances of perishing far outweigh those of surviving”.

Until recently it was believed that passengers were more likely to survive the closer they were sitting to the rear of the plane. This theory gained momentum after the world’s worst crash involving a single aircraft, which killed 520 people in Japan in 1985 when a Boeing 747 struck a mountain. The four survivors were all in the rear four rows.

Most crashes, however, happen just after take-off or shortly before landing and if pilots have any control over the aircraft they will try to head for open space. In recent incidents, including last month’s ditching on the Hudson River and the British Airways crash landing at Heathrow a year ago, the fuselage remained remarkably intact. As long as the aircraft lands relatively level, passengers are more likely to be killed by a fire after the impact than by the impact itself.

The absence of fire after yesterday’s crash was partly due to safety improvements that reduce the risk of fuel igniting. The engines shear off on impact, and insulation material in the walls of the fuselage and all cabin furnishings must now be made of fire-resistant material.

As a result of the 1985 Manchester airport disaster, in which 55 people died in a 737 fire on the runway, all aircraft must undergo evacuation tests to prove that everyone can escape within 90 seconds using only half the emergency exits.

A recent survey of 736 British passengers by TripAdvisor found that a fifth rarely or never pay attention to the pre-flight safety demonstration.

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