In 2019 there were almost 39 million recorded commercial flights. It has been estimated that on any flight, up to 70% of the passengers suffer some form of anxiety or fear related to flight. That’s a lot of nervous people all trapped in a confined space. So, in this article, we’ll ask the question, how safe is air travel?
Now I should point out that this article is intended for some light reading, which may help to settle some nerves for those on the milder end of the spectrum. If, however, you suffer a phobia related to flight, then there is no amount of words on a page that is going to change that.
Personally, I suffer a fear of snakes which borders on phobia. I know the facts. I’m aware of the statistical chances of being bitten, but it still doesn’t matter. I’m a grown man who will run screaming away from a snake. There’s no logic to it at all.
The Statistics
The International Air Transport Association says that there are 1.35 accidents for every 1 million flights. However, we need to make the distinction that in many of those accidents, no-one got hurt. In fact, the number of flights where a fatality was involved drops to 0.28 fatalities per million flights.
Unfortunately, when a commercial flight crashes, the images and graphic details will dominate the media for much longer than any good news story. Crashes feed into our fears. And fear sells advertising space.
If you’d like to check out a whole lot of statistics, click here.
Redundancies
Aircraft these days have an incredible amount of redundancies built into them. This is to try an ensure that as much as possible, that if a component of the aircraft fails, then there are 1 or more parts that can take its place.
How many people have seen a picture of a commercial aircraft cockpit, and thought to themselves, there is no way that I could remember what all those switches and dials are for. Or I guess these days it’s more like, what all those functions on the screens are for.
The truth is though that many of the functions on one side of the panel, are mirrored on the other side. Each side is wired independently and separately fused. This way if a fuse blows, it may take down one instrument, but the one on the other side will still be functioning.
Flight Regulations
Health and safety regulations on the ground have grown exponentially over the last couple of decades, but I still think we’ve got a way to go to catch up with the aviation sector.
Air crew hours are strictly adhered to, to ensure that they are as well rested as possible before stepping onto the fight. Flights have been delayed and cancelled, when staff realised that a member of the crew would be exceeding their hours.
Air corridors are maintained to ensure minimum distances between aircraft. This is not just to stop unintentional impact, but also takes into account the jet wash behind the aircraft which can throw a following aircraft into turbulence. This distance varies, dependant on the size of aircraft as well. For example, a Cessna gives off a light breeze, whereas an airbus A380 is towing a hurricane behind it.
Checklists
Pilots use checklists. Lots of them. Checklists for starting an engine, taxiing, pre take off, post take off, approach, descent, landing. And that’s just for all the tasks that they perform regularly on every single flight. They also have checklists for all the things that may go wrong. Landing gear won’t go up, there’s a list for that, landing gear won’t go down, there’s a list for that.
In short, although the flight crew are extremely well practised and know the procedures like the back of their hand. No one is leaving anything to memory.
Maintenance
Aircraft are incredibly complex machines, and the maintenance schedules are rigorously followed. For example, tyres. Even if they look okay, they still get changed out once they have completed a set number of landings. And this adherence to routine is followed right throughout the aircraft.
The industry has also pioneered a lot of things to make maintenance easier and spot problems earlier rather than later. I remember when I was young, there seemed to be a spate of incidents involving DC10 aircraft. They discovered that they weren’t able to tell if a bolt was cracking unless it actually failed.
Because of this they now utilise bolts that have a small hole running up the centre. This is a sealed space that is filled with a dye. This way if there is any sign of dye then the bolt is removed from service long before it becomes an issue.
There’s also an amazing lot of monitoring that goes on with each flight. Obviously the 2 pilots are checking their systems regularly and watching for faults. But they’re not on the own. From take-off till landing there is an airline representative in the home country monitoring all the systems on board the flight via computer. They get real time updates and warnings which can be passed back to the pilots. The next level is the aircraft manufacturers. Boeing and Airbus also monitor all of the aircraft while in flight from their base as well.
The Human Factor
Since around the early 1990’s, a huge amount of work has done to remove human factors as a cause of aircraft accidents. This includes regular drug and alcohol screening, a greater awareness of mental health factors and fatigue management plans.
As mentioned earlier the extensive use of checklists also helps to cut down on brain overload and helps to reduce human error. The aircraft itself has safety protocols in place. This means that in many cases accidentally hitting a single button won’t cause a problem unless a set sequence is carried out.
Terrorism
There was a time when terrorism was a frequent visitor to our television screens. Whether it involved demanding to be taken somewhere, or destroying an aircraft entirely, it was rife.
Even though these events were horrific, they didn’t truly shake up the aviation industry until 9/11 came along. It’s hard to imagine that anyone doesn’t remember the events of that fateful day and where they were when the news broke. Suddenly the world got a glimpse of just how bad it could be.
The result was a complete shake up of airline security. Upgraded screening, metal detectors, bomb detectors and limits on fluids were just the most visible aspects. Who knows what else goes on behind the scenes.
Prior to this event, it was normal on long haul flights to ask to take your kids up to visit the cockpit. I well remember taking my son up there and we stood behind the pilots. They gave a us a basic and well-rehearsed explanation of the switches and instruments while we were flying over Indonesia, on our way to Singapore. You can’t do that these days. Probably much to the relief of the pilots.
The net result of these changes is that I can’t think of any hijackings in the last 20 years. That’s not to say that weren’t any in some of the third world countries that took a little longer to implement the changes. But it certainly changed the landscape from the previous 20 years.
Final Thoughts
Could you get hurt in an aircraft accident? Yes. Is it likely? No. In fact you’re in far more danger on the car ride to the airport. In truth, the worst you’ve got to look forward to is some mild turbulence, bland food (something to do with altitude affecting our sense of taste and smell), and a numb bum from sitting down too long.
So don’t put it off any longer. Plan the trip, try the food, see the world and experience what life has to offer.
Cheers and happy travels
p.s. for more travel information, check out these posts