Airline safety takes a plunge in 2009

Until this year, aviation risks have diminished since the first Wright brothers’ flight in 1903.

Travel Insurance News - 23/07/2009

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After airline technology and safety saw dramatic improvements for more than 100 years, the latest figures are suggesting that the trend may be seeing a reversal, marked by the first decline in airline safety in the history of the industry.

The number of fatalities due to passenger airplane crashes during the first six months of 2009 is the highest that has been reported since 2002, which indicates that a trend is emerging in which passenger aircraft safety is on the decline.

Two fatal crashes that occurred during the first half of this year led to the number of deaths rising to 499, according to figures released by Flight International. For the same six-month period last year, airline crashes resulted in only 175 deaths.

For the current decade, the average number of fatalities stands at 344, meaning that this year’s figure is considerably above the average and that unless there is a decrease in the rate of deaths between now and the end of next year, this decade will be the first since WWII seeing decreased levels of aviation safety.

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