• Friday, March 29, 2024
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Here’s why flying has become more dangerous

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What happened to the safest form of travel? This is a common question that has been asked severally in the last few months, owning to the fact that flying became deadlier than it has been in years.

According to figures by Aviation Safety Network (ASN), death toll (from accidents and hijacking) climbed to a four-year high of 561 in 2018 reported from 18 airline incidents compared to the 186 fatalities reported in 2015 from 14 incidents. This was compiled from the incidents that occurred in almost every region in the world.

From the analysis of the fatalities reported in the four-year period, 2017 recorded the lowest fatalities with 59 death toll from 14 airline incidents followed by 2015 and 2016 with 186 and 258 fatalities respectively.

The fatal crashes of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and Aeroflot Flight 1492 showed a signal that so far, 2019 has not been any better. It’s hard to pin it solely on Boeing Co.’s infamous 737 Max.#

A further analysis of the data by ASN revealed that already, 2019 has reported more fatalities than the figures in 2015.

In the last five months of 2019, the reported death toll from 8 airline incidents are 12.37 percent higher than the 186 fatalities recorded in 2015.

Checks by BusinessDay revealed that the demand for air travel is growing so fast. International Air Transport Association (IATA) projects that it will double in the next 20 years, as such airlines, plane makers and regulators are struggling to keep up.

 The pressure to keep costs low has intensified; this is notwithstanding the fact that carriers have to meet the need of customers who want to buy tickets at a lower price.

BusinessDay found out that one of the reasons why safety is also under pressure is because airlines are increasingly asking manufacturers for specific aircraft to tap travel trends.

“That’s placing a burden on Chicago-based Boeing and European rival Airbus SE to deliver aircraft on time and on budget,” Ian Thomas, a senior aviation consultant at CAPA Consulting, said in a statement.

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IATA downgraded its outlook for the world’s airline industry due to the rising cost of fuel and weakening world trade.

Here’s why flying has become more dangerous
Here’s why flying has become more dangerous

Airlines are now expected to earn a $28 billion profit, down from the $35.5 billion that the IATA, which represents nearly 300 airlines or more than 80 percent of global air traffic, forecasted in December 2018.

 Meanwhile, overall costs are expected to increase by 7.4 percent to $822 billion, greater than the 6.5 percent rise in revenues of $865 billion, according to the trade association. Per-passenger profit also decreased to $6.12.

“This year will be the tenth consecutive year in the black for the airline industry,” Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s director general and CEO, said in a statement. “But margins are being squeezed by rising costs right across the board, including: labour, fuel, and infrastructure. Stiff competition among airlines keeps yields from rising.

Flying seems to be relatively safe, at least in this part of the world as figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) for 2018 revealed that airline passenger traffic within Nigeria grew significantly by 23.19 percent to 12.79 million passengers, from 10.38 million in 2017.

Also, the total number of international passengers who passed through Nigerian airports reached 4.44 million in 2018 as against 4.06 million 7 passengers in 2017, representing 9.42 percent increase.

This led to 38.92 percent increase in the total number of international aircraft recorded that have used the airports in Africa’s most population nation. A total of 55,961 was reported in 2018 as against 40,328 aircraft in 2017.

To further confirm that flying is still relatively safe, some 4.3 billion travellers, the equivalent of more than half the world’s population, flew safely in 2018, IATA data show.

 

Endurance Okafor