The Alaska Airlines incident shows that travelling by air is still remarkably safe
TMillions of flights take place with no incident. In 2022, there were five fatal accidents among 32.2 million flights
here’s no denying it – the shaky smartphone videos showing the darkened interior of a juddering Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 as it made an emergency landing in Oregon last week are unforgettable. People suddenly found themselves confronting what many clearly thought were their final moments.
It is difficult not to feel empathy with the 177 passengers and crew of Flight 1282; the sight of people buckled up in the Boeing’s depressurised cabin, gripping seat armrests as the wind whipped through a forest of dangling oxygen masks is worryingly relatable. And yet, despite this being a moment of the highest drama, thankfully no one died. Flight 1282’s pilots fell back on their training, maintained control of the aircraft, communicated with air traffic controllers and guided the jet back to Portland International Airport. About 20 minutes after take off, everyone was back on solid ground.
The story of Flight 1282 is still being written and US investigators are trying to piece together what happened. Questions are being asked of Boeing and the company’s share price has tumbled. However, if we focus on the bigger picture of 21st-century aviation, what is striking is not only that it remains the safest form of transport, but that it is one of the most successful examples of global human co-operation.
In historical terms, powered flight has not been around for very long. It is a little more than 120 years since the Wright brothers’ flyer made the world’s first powered flight and on May 2, 1952, passengers on a de Havilland Comet were the first to travel commercially by jet plane. Yet despite flying being available to many of us for only a few decades, modern aviation has revolutionised commerce, warfare and technology.
Since that historic 1952 maiden flight, the world’s number of planes and passengers has grown exponentially, apart from the brief hiatus experienced when Covid-19 temporarily halted air travel – and even that pause is being reversed. According to figures from OAG, a data platform for the industry, last year’s busiest day for airlines – August 11 – saw them operate more than 18.5 million passenger seats across millions of flights.
Thanks to investment in improving aircraft design, air-traffic control systems, pilot training, weather prediction and satellite communication, these millions of flights take place with an infinitesimal likelihood of a fatal incident. In 2022 there were five fatal accidents among 32.2 million flights.
It is difficult to think of another sector in which such exacting standards in maintenance, regulation and training are enforced. Pilots are tested every few months to make sure their flying skills are up to scratch. The planes they fly are also routinely examined – including going through what’s called a “D check” every six to 10 years in which the aircraft is almost dismantled as part of a thorough overhaul that costs several million dollars. Even passengers are subject to intense scrutiny – there are tough punishments for those convicted of endangering an aircraft and many judges take a dim view of mid-air antics.
What makes the argument for aviation being something of a modern miracle is that most countries have largely agreed on a common approach to administering air space, enforcing flight rules, prioritising safety and protecting the integrity of their aviation network. Given that countries are often rivals in politics, diplomacy or business, it is striking how much international co-operation there is when it comes to aviation, particularly on safety.
Why then do we fixate on the anomalous number of airplane accidents? It is perhaps that aviation’s incomparable safety record is, ironically, something of a drawback, amplifying the failures and lapses. And most incidents are lapses – only a small proportion of accidents result in fatalities. A recent example is the January 2 freak accident at Tokyo’s Haneda airport where incoming Japan Airlines Flight 516 burst into flames after hitting a coast guard plane on the runway. Despite the nightmarish scenes and the tragic deaths of five crew on the smaller plane, all 379 passengers and crew from Flight 516 survived thanks to the emergency evacuation overseen by the flight’s crew members. Again, the system worked.
This is not to say there are no issues in aviation. The frequency of flights has led to unions speaking out about the danger of pilot fatigue. However, even on this, the industry appears to be responsive; this week it was reported that India’s aviation regulator now requires pilots to have a mandatory 48-hour rest period at the end of a working week, an increase of six hours.
I don’t think that stories of planes crashing or having near misses will ever lose their power to grab our attention. I can understand this; as someone who is still something of a reluctant flyer, I know that travelling in a metal tube at 40,000 feet feels precarious. Sadly, the part of our psychology that understands the facts and realities of aviation safety is not connected to the more elemental parts of our brain that react with visceral alarm to sudden turbulence, storms or abrupt turns.
Nevertheless, I can’t help but wonder that if aviation’s culture of rigour, high standards and co-operation were to be applied to other critical fields, it would go a long way to solving many of the world’s problems. Now that’s a final call I could get on board with.