2024 has proved to be an anxiety-inducing period for air travel, raising concerns about its actual safety level.
2024 has proved to be an anxiety-inducing period for air travel, raising concerns about its actual safety level.
Last week saw three major events on flights from South Korea, Canada, and Azerbaijan, increasing travelers' apprehensions during the holiday season. Yet, statistics demonstrate that the likelihood of harm or casualties on a commercial flight is extraordinarily low.
The most recent incident occurred in South Korea on Sunday, where a Boeing airplane skidded and crashed-landed at Muan International Airport, resulting in the tragic loss of 179 lives, making it the deadliest aviation disaster in the country since 1997. Footage released by various South Korean news outlets depicts the flight sliding on its belly at high speed, colliding with an embankment, and subsequently bursting into flames.
The cause of the crash remains unclear, although experts, speaking to CNN, suggested that the plane's undercarriage, particularly the landing gear, might not have been fully deployed before touching the runway. Authorities from South Korea and the United States are currently conducting an investigation into the disaster's cause.
Expressing their sympathies, Boeing issued a statement on X, extending their deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones and pledging their readiness to support Jeju Air.
Unfortunately, another tragedy took place on Christmas Day, as an Azerbaijan Airlines flight met with an accident after entering Russian airspace in Grozny, Chechnya. Despite ongoing inquiries, the precise reason behind the incident remains undetermined. Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev has accused Russia of inadvertently shooting down the airliner, while Russia expressed regret for the incident and its occurrence within Russian airspace.
Adding to the series of unfortunate events, an Air Canada Express flight reported a non-fatal accident on Saturday night. The flight, operated by PAL Airlines, experienced what appears to be a landing gear issue after touching down at Halifax Stanfield International Airport in Nova Scotia. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.
As the year draws to a close, the airline industry has had to face a barrage of criticism and scrutiny, in particular, Boeing, which has been targeted for the quality of its products following several crises.
An Alaska Airlines flight suffered an engine blowout in January, leaving a significant hole in the side of the Boeing 737 Max fuselage. Fortunately, no one lost their lives, but the occurrence represented another setback for the model, which had previously been the subject of fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019, leading to a 20-month worldwide grounding of the model.
Risks Assessed
Despite the numerous accidents recorded throughout the year, incidents on commercial flights are remarkably uncommon, with 30 fatal or non-fatal accidents reported in 2023, according to data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). This translates to a risk of just one accident per 1.26 million flights. This figure is lower than the risk recorded the previous year, with an incident occurring every 770,000 flights.
Anthony Brickhouse, a professor of aviation safety at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in New Jersey, emphasized that on average, passengers are more likely to encounter difficulties during their commute to the airport than while boarding a flight.
An IATA-commissioned study in August revealed that the worldwide death risk per boarding was one in 13.7 million between 2018 and 2022. This means that the likelihood of a fatal incident or terror attack is virtually nonexistent when boarding a plane during that time frame.
Even so, past safety records do not equate to future guarantees. The recent influx of fatal incidents is expected to result in a significant increase in fatalities caused by airline disasters, surpassing the 72 incidents IATA reported in 2023.
IATA Director General Willie Walsh expressed in the organization's most recent annual safety report that the industry's safety record "continues to demonstrate that flying is the safest mode of transport." However, he warned that "we can never take safety for granted" and called attention to the need for constant improvements, as even safe activities have room for improvement.
In the context of the airline industry's criticism and scrutiny, several businesses, including Boeing, are under pressure to ensure the quality of their products following a series of crises.
Given the statistic presented by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), passengers are more likely to encounter issues during their commute to the airport than during a flight itself.