Flying Has Become More Dangerous. Don't Just Blame Boeing

Smoke billows from Aeroflot Flight 1492 at Sheremetyevo airport on May 5. Photographer: Viktor Marchukaites/AFP via Getty Images

It has been said that flying has become more dangerous. That being the case, not only should Boeing be blamed

That’s right, nowadays flying has become more deadly than it has been for years and it is difficult to attribute it solely to the infamous 737 Max de Boeing Co. In fact, according to the International Air Transport Association, aviation accidents happened with greater frequency in almost all regions of the world in 2018, since the death toll increased to a maximum of four years of 523.

It should be noted that the fatal accidents of Flight 302 of Ethiopian Airlines and Flight 1492 of Aeroflot assure that this year will be another bad one.

That being the case, airline bosses hold the largest meeting since the Boeing crisis began. Thus, in the same arises one of the most important questions that hover over the executives of airlines and aircraft, what happened to the safest way to travel? This comes when they meet this weekend in Seoul at the annual IATA meeting for the largest industry meeting since the two disasters of the Boeing 737 Max.

Increasing demand

It is necessary to emphasize that the demand for air travel is growing so fast that airlines, aircraft manufacturers and regulators are struggling to keep up. Likewise, it is clear that the pressure to keep costs low has intensified with the proliferation of low cost carriers for travelers obsessed with ticket prices. It is also important to mention that the reality is that security, whether training pilots or complementary functions in airplanes, it costs money and there is a limit to how much the industry can spend safeguarding human life.

It has been said that flying is relatively safe. Since at least some 4.3 billion travelers, the equivalent of more than half of the world’s population, flew safely in 2018. The probability of an accident is just over one in a million.

However, that did not stop Montreal-based IATA, whose member airlines represent more than 80% of air traffic worldwide, from creating an unusually grim image in its security report for 2018, which was published in April. While the industry has made great strides, it has been too slow to deal with catastrophic events such as loss of control in mid-flight, according to the association.

As such, safety is also under pressure because airlines are increasingly asking manufacturers for a specific aircraft to take advantage of travel trends.

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Source: Angus Whitley | Bloomberg