Airline crashes reach alarming levels
Airline travel remains very safe but commercial jet crashes around the world are climbing and a spate of recent disasters threatens to push accidents to levels not seen since the 1990s, according to several reports.
“The number of major crashes during the past five years is higher than recent five-year periods, a disturbing trend to aviation safety advocates who have seen steady and dramatic improvements in recent decades,” says the AP.
"If we continue at this pace, we’ll be turning the clock back 10 years on safety," said Bill Voss, president of the non-profit Flight Safety Foundation, which advocates around the world.
At the same time, airlines are being asked to add costly improvements such as $1,250-a-seat airbags. That requirement is pending with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). That could mean fewer seats and less revenue for the airlines.
Still another problem for airlines is that load factors could fall as insurance rates rise following a spate of plane crashes since June 1, according to Indoswiss Aviation.
“People may put off traveling and any reduction in traffic isn’t good for the airlines right now,” said Jim Eckes, managing director of Indoswiss, an industry adviser in Hong Kong. “Insurance premiums may also go up,” he told Bloomberg News.
The non-profit Flight Safety Foundation reports this year there have been 11 major crashes worldwide, including a recent incident in Iran that killed 168 people.
If that rate continues, there could be 20 or more crashes this year, the most since 24 jets crashed in 1999. The foundation defines a major crash as one in which the plane was destroyed, multiple fatalities occurred or one person died and the jet suffered significant damage.
Both 2007 and 2008, with 17 and 19 major crashes respectively, had totals higher than their preceding years.
But with plane crashes so rare, experts caution not to jump to conclusions when a handful occur within a month or two.
There is no obvious connection between the recent crashes or a common cause, the AP concluded. Still, the increase is discouraging because new technology has succeeded in dramatically reducing certain types of crashes, such as midair collisions.
Report by David Wilkening
David
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent