Asian air travel “extraordinarily safe” in 2016

Air travel in the Asia Pacific is now safer than ever, with fewer fatal accidents and improving standards across the region, a new report has revealed.

The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA), which represents the majority of the region’s major carriers, released its annual safety report today (12 January 2017), and the results were encouraging. Airlines based in the Asia Pacific region suffered no major accidents involving jet aircraft in 2016, and only three major accidents involving turboprop aircraft. These resulted in a total of 74 fatalities.

Andrew Herdman, director-general of the AAPA, said that the figures demonstrated how much the region’s safety record has improved over recent years.

“As again demonstrated by the positive outcome for 2016, flying remains extraordinarily safe, and getting safer still. Asia Pacific airlines are operating in line with the highest international standards, and delivering continuous improvements in safety performance,” Herdman stated.

He noted however, that the rapid expansion of the Asia Pacific aviation industry expected over the coming decades would require additional work to ensure the accident rate remains low.

“The projected expansion of the air transport sector in the Asia Pacific region brings with it considerable challenges, including the need for effective regulatory oversight that keeps pace with growth, as well as the recruitment and training of the necessary skilled manpower,” Herman added.

Globally there were seven major accidents involving large Western-built commercial jet aircraft in 2016, which resulted in 207 fatalities. This represented a rate of one major accident for every four million flights. There were also five major turboprop accidents which resulted in 80 fatalities, at a rate of one major accident per million flights.

Looking back over the past five years, the industry has reduced its major accident rate by almost 60%. The industry now operates approximately 100,000 flights safely each day, carrying 10 million passengers.
But while flying is getting safer, Herdman stressed that there are still “evident disparities” in terms of the safety standards implemented by the world’s countries.

“Governments have a responsibility to make the necessary commitments and investment in resources to ensure effective oversight in full compliance with agreed ICAO standards, or face the very real threat of international sanctions,” Herdman warned.