Thursday’s
Air India crash
This was the most recent among several prominent aviation incidents and issues that have unsettled the public. Despite this, authorities maintain that traveling by air continues to be more secure than numerous other forms of transport, with deadly crashes still being uncommon events.
Is air travel secure?
Air disasters are much rarer than they used to be. In the U.S., commercial passenger airlines had gone more than 15 years without a major fatal crash until late January this year. That’s when an
An American Airlines regional jet crashed into a U.S. Army helicopter.
close to Washington, D.C., resulting in the deaths of 67 individuals.
Aerospace safety specialists attribute the country’s significant reduction in accidents over the past few decades to initiatives implemented earlier.
driven by U.S. regulators and industry officials
To promote individuals reporting their own errors and exchanging details regarding emerging risks.
What insights does the data provide regarding near misses and other aviation safety concerns?
This year’s disaster at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport brought air safety issues into sharp focus in the U.S., drawing more attention to accidents involving smaller, private aircraft.
Subscribers of WSJ have the opportunity to send their queries to our aviation-safety journalist, Andrew Tangel.
Since the January crash, air-safety officials have attempted to calm nervous passengers, stating that
Flying continues to be the safest form of transport.
Between 2000 and 2009, for every billion miles traveled, cars experienced over seven passenger deaths, whereas planes had only .07 passenger deaths per billion miles, as stated by Ian Savage, who leads the transportation and logistics program at Northwestern University.
And how safe are Boeing aircraft?
The Air India disaster might lead to
renewed scrutiny
for the aerospace behemoth, which has invested years
efforts to enhance its processes and quality assurance
following two accidents involving its 737 MAX aircraft in 2018 and 2019—and an
midflight door-plug blowout
in one of its aircraft in early 2024.
The accident on Thursday featured Boeing’s 787 aircraft, a model that had not experienced any deadly crashes before. This particular variant, known as the Dreamliner, remains one of the company’s top-selling products, even though it faced various challenges during production both in the past and recently. These difficulties included disruptions in the supply chain, incidents of battery fires, along with several other quality-assurance issues.
The CEO of Boeing, Kelly Ortberg, informed his staff last year that the corporation
couldn’t afford another mistake
. In June,
Boeing consented to paying $1.1 billion
to evade legal action over the MAX accidents.
Accidents may stem from various errors, which could include mistakes made by the flight crew, inadequate maintenance, or flaws in the aircraft’s design. It typically takes over a year for investigators to complete their probe into such incidents. As of now, there is no evidence suggesting that either the plane’s manufacturing process or original design were responsible for the mishap with Air India.
What about air-traffic control?
In the U.S., both the aviation sector and regulatory bodies have faced numerous near-misses and challenges.
floundering confidence
In the country’s air-traffic control system, staffing has consistently posed challenges. The Federal Aviation Administration lacks several thousand controllers compared to their targeted numbers, with some controllers voicing concerns.
they are fatigued
.
Technology has also been a challenging area. In early 2023,
the failure of an essential flight-warning mechanism
It triggered a countrywide suspension of airport takeoffs. In April of this year, air traffic controllers and pilots at Newark Liberty International Airport experienced a temporary loss of communication when radar screens went blank and backup systems malfunctioned. Although no accidents occurred, the event resulted in numerous delays and flights being redirected.
What measures has the U.S. government taken to enhance safety for air travelers?
The Department of Transportation, responsible for overseeing the FAA,
has presented a proposal
This initiative aims to overhaul and modernize air-traffic-control facilities, telecommunications gear, radar systems, and surveillance technology. Additionally, transportation authorities plan to increase staffing levels and keep seasoned controllers employed.
What would be the expense for this? Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy hasn’t provided specifics, however he approximated the cost as “many billions.” Both aviation industry representatives and labor unions estimate that an extra $31 billion in urgent financial assistance should be allocated over the coming three years.
President Trump has supported this initiative. “The outdated infrastructure is failing to cope with the burden of over a billion air travelers each year,” he stated last month.
This informational piece might receive periodic updates.
Send your message to Owen Tucker-Smith at
Owen.Tucker-Smith@wsj.com
and Andrew Tangel at
andrew.tangel@wsj.com
Leave a Reply