2024 ends how it started: With aviation safety in the spotlight

30.12.2024 - 21:51 / thepointsguy.com

Not even a week into 2024, it became clear that aviation safety would be a major theme of the year.

On Jan. 2, a Japan Airlines Airbus A350 crashed into a Japanese Coast Guard DHC Dash-8 while landing at Tokyo's Haneda Airport, killing five of the six crew aboard the Coast Guard plane. The A350 careened down the runway and burst into flames, but miraculously, all 367 passengers and 12 crew were able to evacuate with only a handful of minor injuries reported. It was the first major accident involving the A350 since the type entered service in 2015.

Days later, a "door plug" fell off of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 departing Portland International Airport (PDX), causing an explosive decompression in the cabin as the plane climbed through 16,000 feet. The plane returned safely to PDX without any passengers suffering major physical injuries despite the traumatic experience.

Both incidents kicked of lengthy discussions of safety within commercial aviation, which statistics show the safest form of transportation by multitudes. The evacuation of the Japan Airline took an alarmingly long time, although actions of the crew, the willingness of passengers to follow rules and leave hand baggage and the composite-material used in constructing the aircraft's hull all contributed to the positive outcome.

The Boeing episode, meanwhile, kicked off renewed scrutiny of the long-troubled company after the bolts meant to hold the door plug in place were found to have been missing. The crisis kicked off by the incident led to multiple investigations, the ouster of top executives and a retooling of its safety and quality control processes and frustration among airlines around the world. It also led to months of public hyper-focus on airline safety, with many routine events and precautionary incidents making headlines and drawing news cameras (for instance, an "emergency landing" out of an abundance of caution that does not involve any danger to those on board).

Now, as the year comes to a close, safety is back in the spotlight following two horrifying and tragic episodes which had far worse outcomes than the ones at the year's start.

Last week, an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer E190 jet flying from Baku, Azerbaijan to Grozny, Russia crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan after reportedly being hit by Russian antiaircraft fire, which was active amid the country's ongoing war with Ukraine. The plane had diverted from its flight plan due to interference with its navigation systems, another aspect of Russian air warfare. Of the 67 people on board, 38 were killed.

Then on Sunday, a Jeju Air flight from Bangkok crashed while landing at Muan International Airport in South Korea. Video showed the Boeing 737-800 sliding past the end of