2014 Plane Tragedies Have Already Claimed Close To 700 Lives
The aviation industry has suffered one of the worst weeks in memory.
By Mei Mei Chu — 25 Jul 2014, 03:33 PM — Updated over 10 years ago
It is only July, but 2014 is already set to be the worst in a decade for airline fatalities
The year 2014 is set to be the worst in almost 10 years for airline passenger fatalities, experts say.
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On 8 March, the mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 with 239 passengers and crew shocked the world over
On 17 July, the world mourns with Malaysia Airlines once again as flight MH17 carrying 298 people was shot down from the sky
On 23 July, 47 people perished and 11 more injured when Taiwan's TransAsia Airways flight GE222 crashed in Penghu Island
On 23 July, 17-year-old pilot Haris Suleman who was attempting to circle the globe in 30 days died when his plane crashed. His 58-year-old father is still missing.
AH5017, the fourth plane crash in one week, brings the death toll to close to 700. This makes 2014 as the most lethal year since 2005, which saw 916 lives lost.
Together, the disasters have the potential to push airline fatalities this year to over 700 — the most since 2010. And 2014 is still barely half over.
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Yesterday's Air Algerie jetliner crash brings the death toll to 680, a figure which air-safety consultants at Ascend Worldwide told Bloomberg could make 2014 “the most lethal year since 2005” which saw 916 lives lost.
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Ascend said the number is higher than the 12-month totals for the past three years. “Fatal accidents are now so rare that one or two more can completely change the numbers,” Ascend’s head of safety Paul Hayes was quoted as saying.
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Malaysia lost 81 residents. Netherlands and China were the hardest hit with 193 and 153 residents lost respectively.
The countries hit hardest by these plane tragedies have been the Netherlands, with 193 dead or missing, and China, with 153 dead or missing. Malaysia had a high number of passengers on both MH370 and MH17, and lost 81 of its residents this year. France, Taiwan, Indonesia and Australia have all lost dozens of citizens in the tragedies. The United States lost three residents aboard MH370 and one dual U.S.-Dutch resident aboard MH17.
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The back-to-back tragedies are a reminder that as the airline industry grows with increased number of flights, the potential for accidents to happen are higher
Jon Beatty, president and CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation, said he also finds the disaster cluster “a cold reminder” that airline accidents are likely to increase because the industry is growing, especially in developing countries. The more flights there are, the more potential for accidents, he said.
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Yet aviation industry analyst Robert W. Mann Jr. does not expect the string of accidents to deter travellers from flying
A man looks at a screen displaying 'Pray for MH17'' at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
Image via therakyatpost.comAviation industry analyst Robert W. Mann Jr. said he doesn’t expect the recent events to deter travelers from flying. “They’re all tragic, but the global air travel consumer has a very short memory, and it’s highly localized to their home markets where they fly,” he said.
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“Aviation is fundamentally safe and getting safer, but it can always fall prey to the mistakes or ill will of man. We sometimes forget the magic of flight, or the fragility of life, but this week has brought home the need to appreciate this more and protect both better.”
Entire Dutch communities are coming together to mourn for the loss of nearly 200 innocent individuals after one of the country's darkest days.
Image via telegraph.co.ukAviation is “fundamentally safe and getting safer, but can it can always fall prey to the mistakes or ill will of man,” said former FAA chief counsel Kenneth Quinn. “We sometimes forget the magic of flight, or the fragility of life, but this week has brought home the need to appreciate this more and protect both better.”