Is Air-travel Safe?

"DATA NEVER LIES" - Media propaganda about airline safety issues - facts-based analysis. 

By Nitin Mahajan

 

In 2019, some 4.5 billion passengers took 42 million flights worldwide. That is an average of 115,000 commercial flights every day, according to FlightRadar24.  Given these statistics alone, one can imagine how safe is air travel. The risk of experiencing anything close to dangerous is very less. 

 

According to industry research, 2017 was the safest year in history for commercial airlines. Dutch consultancy To70 and The Aviation Safety Network reported no passenger jet crashes anywhere in the world. This does not mean that there is low number of flights or passengers. But one can say that there might be some extraordinary safety measures that have been implemented, which resulted in low crashes. 

 

The number of fatalities has decreased by more than 45% in the last two decades (2000-2021) compared to 1981-1999. 

SAFETY ON OTHER MODES OF TRAVELLING

 
To get a real idea, of whether air travling is so dangerous, let's see what data tell us about the accidents and the fatalities in road accidents or motor accidents. One will not deny the fact that driving on the highway is the most dangerous way to travel.  Drivers have a 1 in 114 chance of dying in a motor vehicle crash, and a 1 in 654 chance of dying as a car occupant. Out of the 35,092 highway fatalities in 2015, 12,628 were passenger car occupants, 9,813 were occupants in small trucks (e.g. pickups, vans, utility vehicles), and 4,976 were motorcyclists.

 

The number of fatalities has decreased by more than 45% in the last two decades (2000-2021) compared to 1981-1999. As an overall statistic based on 2015 data, trains had 749 fatalities, water transport had 692 boating fatalities and aviation had 444 fatalities. Compared to 848.1 million aviation passengers (only in and out of USA), airlines could be considered one of the safest travel mediums, if not the safest.

The following figures clearly shows the number of fatalites casued by motor accidents and the airline in the pas few year. DONT MISS the UNITS of Y-AXIS while COMPARING.

BUZZZZZ - Why does aviation catastrophe catch our attention?

Devastating events such as plane crashes grab everybody’ attention, induce fear, and tend to stick in our minds for a long time, giving us the false impression that these events are common occurrences no matter how infrequently they happen. Risk perception is the main reason for the media hype and public buzz on airline tragedy. 

 

Part of the perception could be the scale, since one airplane crash can cause hundreds of lives; and the other part could be because in air travel, safety is completely under the flight crew and airlines' control with nothing much to do by the passengers. 

  

Aviation industry is highly sophisticated, very competitive and constantly evolving. If we ignore the data from COVID pandemic, data of almost last two decades in the figure below clearly demonstrates that the number of passengers travel every year by air are constantly increasing. 

 

TAKE AWAY

 

Technologies in the aviation industry in context to comfort and safety in the airlines space are continuously evolving. Ranging from evolving cockpit technology, constant flight status monitoring, passenger cabin safety measures, ultra-modern communication through air traffic control and airport control, security checking and airport safety, - all work together to provide a better and safer travel experience. 

 

In conclusion, considering all the aspects, air travel is arguably the safest means of travelling in the present era. 

Reference 

• 49 CFR § 830.2 - Definitions. (n.d.). Law Cornell. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/830.2
• Death Rate per Year. (n.d.). Retrieved from Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives: http://www.baaa-acro.com/statistics/death-rate-per-year?page=0

• Historical Fatality Trends. (n.d.). Retrieved from Injury Facts: https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/historical-fatality-trends/deaths-and-rates/

• Operating Revenue (In Thousands of Dollars ($000). (n.d.). Retrieved from Bureau of Transportation Statistics: https://www.transtats.bts.gov/Data_Elements_Financial.aspx?Data=7

• Passengers All U.S. Carriers - All Airports. (n.d.). Retrieved from Bureau of Transportation Statistics: https://www.transtats.bts.gov/Data_Elements.aspx?Data=1

• https://to70.com/2021-has-been-another-very-difficult-year-for-civil-aviation/

• https://hellogiggles.com/lifestyle/travel/heres-proof-need-flying-safest-way-travel/