July 29, 2014
Three airline crashes in a week - Is it safe to travel by air anymore? - File Photo
KUALA LUMPUR: The answer is yes, according to aviation statistics.
Overall, deaths related to aviation and plane crashes globally have been dropping and the world is enjoying what it seems to be the safest period in aviation history.
In fact, 2013 was the safest year in aviation for almost seven decades, based on an aviation report by CNN.com
“Last year, 265 people were killed in flight related incidents -- the safest year in aviation since 1945. This year, the worldwide number of aviation deaths has more than doubled, but it's still relatively low.”
There is growing concern over the safety of air travel given the number of airline disasters in the past few months.
On July 17, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down, killing all 298 aboard.
Close to a week later, 48 were killed when TransAsia Airways Flight 222 crashed near an airport in Taiwan.
The next day, Air Algerie Flight 5017 crashed in Mali, leaving 119 dead.
On top of that is the unexplained disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 with 239 people aboard in March.
According to the Aviation Safety Network, one of several organizations that track aviation data and statistics, there had been 764 deaths in 12 commercial aviation accidents in 2014, thus far.
However, experts insist the numbers are nowhere close to it being the deadliest year in aviation history.
The worst year on record was held in 1972 where the world witnessed 55 airline disasters that killed 2,429 people.
On 13 October 1972, Aeroflot Flight 217 en-route from Paris to Moscow crashed in Russia, killing 174 people.
On 3 December 1972, Spantax Convair 990 crashed at Los Rodeos Airport on the Spanish island of Tenerife while taking off, killing all 155 aboard.
Just five years later, at the same airport, two Boeing 747s collided on the runaway, killing 583 people and making it the deadliest aviation accident in history.
Global program director of Washington's Flight Safety Foundation Rudy Quevedo said the triple airline disaster this year is indeed a ‘rare event’.
Nonetheless, with the exception of the 9/11 attacks, it's hard to know whether the loss of three airliners in seven days is unprecedented, he told CNN.
Based on data compiled, the world is seeing fewer fatal accidents on the whole.
“It's a perfectly safe system. So while it's an unfortunate tragedy to have these recent three crashes together, it doesn't shock me, because you could go two or three years in a row without having one. It all equals out in the end,” said Quevedo in the report.
He added that numbers of crashes or deaths alone doesn’t offer an accurate safety snapshot; the overall amount of aviation traffic must also be taken into consideration.
According to CNN, aviation industry trackers monitor total worldwide airport departures by all commercial aircraft.
Then they divide the number of annual accidents by that number of departures. The result is called the aviation accident rate.
In 2013, the rate was 0.24 out of 1 million departures – which means less than one accident for every 1 million flights.
“That number proves that the chances of being in a fatal aircraft accident are extremely rare.” Quevedo said.
Overall, deaths related to aviation and plane crashes globally have been dropping and the world is enjoying what it seems to be the safest period in aviation history.
In fact, 2013 was the safest year in aviation for almost seven decades, based on an aviation report by CNN.com
“Last year, 265 people were killed in flight related incidents -- the safest year in aviation since 1945. This year, the worldwide number of aviation deaths has more than doubled, but it's still relatively low.”
There is growing concern over the safety of air travel given the number of airline disasters in the past few months.
On July 17, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down, killing all 298 aboard.
Close to a week later, 48 were killed when TransAsia Airways Flight 222 crashed near an airport in Taiwan.
The next day, Air Algerie Flight 5017 crashed in Mali, leaving 119 dead.
On top of that is the unexplained disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 with 239 people aboard in March.
According to the Aviation Safety Network, one of several organizations that track aviation data and statistics, there had been 764 deaths in 12 commercial aviation accidents in 2014, thus far.
However, experts insist the numbers are nowhere close to it being the deadliest year in aviation history.
The worst year on record was held in 1972 where the world witnessed 55 airline disasters that killed 2,429 people.
On 13 October 1972, Aeroflot Flight 217 en-route from Paris to Moscow crashed in Russia, killing 174 people.
On 3 December 1972, Spantax Convair 990 crashed at Los Rodeos Airport on the Spanish island of Tenerife while taking off, killing all 155 aboard.
Just five years later, at the same airport, two Boeing 747s collided on the runaway, killing 583 people and making it the deadliest aviation accident in history.
Global program director of Washington's Flight Safety Foundation Rudy Quevedo said the triple airline disaster this year is indeed a ‘rare event’.
Nonetheless, with the exception of the 9/11 attacks, it's hard to know whether the loss of three airliners in seven days is unprecedented, he told CNN.
Based on data compiled, the world is seeing fewer fatal accidents on the whole.
“It's a perfectly safe system. So while it's an unfortunate tragedy to have these recent three crashes together, it doesn't shock me, because you could go two or three years in a row without having one. It all equals out in the end,” said Quevedo in the report.
He added that numbers of crashes or deaths alone doesn’t offer an accurate safety snapshot; the overall amount of aviation traffic must also be taken into consideration.
According to CNN, aviation industry trackers monitor total worldwide airport departures by all commercial aircraft.
Then they divide the number of annual accidents by that number of departures. The result is called the aviation accident rate.
In 2013, the rate was 0.24 out of 1 million departures – which means less than one accident for every 1 million flights.
“That number proves that the chances of being in a fatal aircraft accident are extremely rare.” Quevedo said.
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