Here’s reassuring counterpoint to the recent spate of news about soaring fuel costs, rising airfares, and mounting delays: it’s getting safer to fly – significantly safer if you look at the picture in terms of fatalities.
The International Air Transport Association says the number of global airline fatalities fell by 19 percent in 2007. Last year, 692 people perished in airline accidents compared to 855 in 2006. What makes the figure even more significant is that 19 percent decline in fatalities occurred even as the number of airline passengers worldwide increased by 6 percent, to 2.2 billion in 2007.
It should be noted, however, that the number of “hull losses” (where the aircraft is significantly damaged) rose last year, from 0.65 in 2006 to 0.75 in 2007, for Western-built aircraft.
Still, the old cliché about air travel being the safest form of transportation was underscored by last year’s stats. “That’s good news,” says Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO. The organization’s chief, however, isn’t satisfied. “Our goal,” he says, “is always to do better: zero fatalities and zero accidents”.
The goal is to improve commercial aviation in Africa, by far the worst continent in terms of airline safety. “It is still six times less safe to fly in Africa than the rest of the world,” says Bisignani. IATA says it’s working with African airlines to improve things.
Another global sore point is Brazil, where a TAM A320 crashed in Sao Paulo last year, killing some 200 passengers, crew, and people on the ground. The country has been roundly criticized for its safety policies, especially its air traffic control system. IATA says it is working “with the Brazilian government on a comprehensive program to improve safety”.
As for the United States, there were no fatal air crashes in 2007.
What will safety professionals be focusing on as they try to improve things over the coming months? Landings, says IATA. Almost half (48 percent) of last year’s accidents took place during that critical phase of flight, and the majority of those accidents entailed runway incursions. That’s where another airplane or piece of ground equipment, such as a vehicle, collide. IATA says it’s working with the Flight Safety Foundation to “develop a toolkit that will address the issues linked to runway safety”.
© Cheapflights Ltd Jerry Chandler
