Northstar

AIRLINE www.travelweeklyweb.com Lowest accident rate in aviation history for Western-built jets MONTREAL – If anyone is afraid of flying, be reassured : the accident rate for the past year for Western-built jets has been the lowest in aviation history. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says that the accident rate, measured in hull losses, would be the equivalent of one accident every 2.7 million fl ights, and was a decrease of 39 per cent over 2010, when the accident rate was one for 0.61 or 1.6 million fl ights. The unit of measurement is hull losses per million fl ights and a hull loss is an accident in which the aircraft is destroyed or substantially damaged and not subsequently repaired for whatever reason including a fi nancial decision by the owner. IATA's fi gures for 2011 revealed that • 2.8 billion people fl ew safely on 38 million fl ights (30 million by jet, eight million by turboprop) • 11 hull loss accidents involving Western-built jets compared to 17 in 2010 • 92 total accidents (all aircraft types, Eastern and Western built) down from 94 in 2010 • fi ve fatal hull loss accidents involving Western-built jets down from eight in 2010 • 22 fatal accidents (all aircraft types) versus 23 in 2010 • 486 fatalities compared to 786 in 2010 • Fatality rate dropped to 0.07 per million passengers from 0.21 in 2010 based on Western-built jet operations. Safety is the air transport industry's number one priority, and the whole community – airlines, airports, air navigation service providers and safety regulators – work cohesively to ensure that the skies are safer based on global standards, Tony Tyler, IATA's director general and CEO said. "As a result, fl ying is one of the safest things that a person could do. But, every accident is one too many, and each fatality is a human tragedy. The ultimate goal of zero accidents keeps everyone involved in aviation focused on building an ever safer industry," he added. In analyzing the accidents, IATA noted that the most common type – 18 Boeing – old and new per cent of total accidents – was due to "runway excursions" – in which an aircraft departs a runway during landing or take off. The 2011 figure was reduced from 21 per cent in 2010. Landing,it appears,is more dangerous as 88 per cent of runway excursions occur then. This is due to unstable approaches of aircraft, and contaminated runways. Aircraft in their approach goes either too fast, goes above the glide scope or touches down below the "desired touchdown point" Ground damage was another area of concern and actually increased from 11 per cent in 2010 to 16 per cent last year. These accidents arise from damage caused by ground handling operations and collisions during taxi. "Aviation's good record is not the result of complacency. The strong performance in 2011 should not distract us from the need for continuous improvement to drive the accident rate even lower. An even safer future will be built on the foundation stones of global standards, cooperation between industry and government and information sharing," said Tyleri. AirAsia X cuts out Christchurch end May KUALA LUMPUR – AirAsia X, the long haul Air Asia carrier, is to cut its four weekly fl ights to Christchurch, New Zealand end of May. In a move to shed its unprofitable routes, AirAsia X is consolidating its operations on its core Asian markets – Australia, China, Taiwan, Japan and Korea. Rising fuel costs saw its 2011 profi ts halved to US$186 million. The Malaysian-based group had already announced plans to cease service to London, Paris, Delhi and Mumbai because of improfi tability. Not only were fuel and landing costs going up, but they had also met with visa problems as far as the Indian market was concerned. In a statement, AirAsia X CEO, Azran Osman-Rani said fuel prices had risen more than 30 per cent, since Christchurch routes began in April 2011. 6 | ■ TRAVELWEEKLY ASIA | 20 MARCH 2012 "The high cost of fuel has compromised our ability to offer our renowned low fares," he said. Since 2001, Tony Fernandes, a former record industry executive, has successfully built up Air Asia into a reputable low cost airline – fl ying into secondary airports in major cities Its South East Asian network spread quickly, and it was in 2007 that AirAsia X was launched to serve long-haul routes to China, India and Europe. AirAsia X will now focus on medium-haul fl ights within Asia, and from its Kuala Lumpur hub, AirAsia will continue with routes up to four hours' fl ight. Its 2011 profi ts were halved to US$186 million ($A176 million). The AirAsia group now currently serve about 80 cities in more than 20 countries. Tony Fernandes www.travelweeklyweb.com

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