
All of us have develop into nervous about flying today, particularly on funds carriers, after a collection of air accidents right here at dwelling and overseas over the previous month or so. It’s unlucky that so many harmless, treasured lives have perished in current lethal crashes, which has considerably elevated the worry of flying amongst us.
On Dec. 29, a Jeju Air aircraft crash-landed at Muan Worldwide Airport and collided with a construction on the finish of the runway, bursting into flames. Korea’s deadliest aviation accident on dwelling soil claimed 179 lives, surpassing an Asiana Airways aircraft crash in 1993 that killed 66 individuals. The most recent determine is the third-largest variety of fatalities involving Korean planes, after the 1983 Korean Air flight shot down by a Soviet fighter jet with 269 fatalities and the 1997 Korean Air crash in Guam claiming 228 lives.
On Jan. 28, an Air Busan aircraft sure for Hong Kong caught hearth whereas getting ready for takeoff at Gimhae Worldwide Airport in Busan. All 176 passengers have been evacuated safely. But when the hearth had damaged out mid-air, it might have develop into one other lethal catastrophe.
Then, the subsequent day (native time) in Washington, D.C., an American Airways aircraft collided with a military helicopter and crashed right into a river, killing all 67 aboard each automobiles. On Feb. 1 (native time), an air ambulance carrying six individuals went down onto a busy Philadelphia road, fanning additional issues over air journey security worldwide.
A colleague of mine, who acquired married on Dec. 28, was imagined to journey to the Philippines for a honeymoon two days after the marriage. However she abruptly canceled the journey over a worry of flying on the identical kind of Boeing 737-800 Jeju Air plane that crashed at Muan airport a day earlier. As an alternative, the newlywed flew on one of many nation’s flagship carriers to Japan, paying further.
She was one in every of many to have not too long ago reconsidered their journey plans. Specifically, there have been rising fears of flying with low-cost carriers (LCCs) — together with Jeju Air, Jin Air, T’approach Air, Eastar Jet, Air Busan and Air Seoul — out of security issues as a result of the 2 current home accidents concerned two of them.
It’s broadly identified that LCCs function on extraordinarily tight schedules due to their smaller air fleets, in comparison with the nation’s two flagship carriers — Korean Air and Asiana Airways. This makes it more durable for funds carriers to bear thorough inspection and upkeep. Additionally they lag behind within the variety of mechanics and restore services due to their poorer monetary standings.
Understanding all these details, flying generally is a nerve-wracking expertise for all of us, notably once we are on a funds service. However the actuality is we will’t reside with out flying. The truth is, regardless of all these newest high-profile accidents, air journey stays the most secure technique of transport.
In keeping with many research and statistics, the chance of dying by aircraft crash is estimated to be at about one in 10 million, considerably decrease than the possibilities of being hit by lightning, that are round one in one million. A research by researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Know-how (MIT), which appeared final August within the Journal of Air Transport Administration, confirmed the fatality fee fell to 1 per each 13.7 million passenger boardings globally throughout the 2018 to 2022 interval, an enchancment from 1 per 7.9 million boardings from 2008 to 2017.
As well as, in accordance with the Worldwide Civil Aviation Group, the fatality fee dropped to 17 individuals per billion passengers in 2023, down from 50 individuals per billion passengers in 2022. In the US alone, the variety of aviation fatalities per billion was 0.07, decrease than 0.43 by practice, 3.18 by ship and seven.28 by automotive.
Right here in Korea, 17 individuals died because of aviation accidents in 2022, considerably decrease than 2,735 on the highway, 99 within the sea and 28 by rail, in accordance with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
All these knowledge and statistics present that air journey is certainly the most secure approach of journey, however it doesn’t really feel like that as a result of when one thing goes unsuitable within the air, so many individuals die, making on a regular basis automotive accidents look like much less of an enormous deal.
In gentle of the current aviation accidents, the federal government ought to tighten security guidelines and strictly implement them on air carriers in order that passengers can really feel secure. Airways also needs to do their half in bettering the security of air journey by hiring extra mechanics, increasing upkeep services and lengthen servicing hours.
Solely when all involved events work towards the widespread purpose of placing security first, can we then forestall additional tragedies from taking place.
The author is finance desk editor at The Korea Occasions.