For the first time in aviation history, in 2017, not a single person died anywhere in the world because of a jet airliner accident. One man died in the crash of a Canadian ATR42 turboprop in December. The chance of dying in an airline crash now is about 1 in 50 million, according to a recent analysis in The Wall Street Journal. “It’s just stunning,” safety consultant William Voss told the Journal. “I hope that we can sustain it, but that’s hard to do.” The flawless safety record can be attributed to a lot of hard work by many people over many years, but luck also played a role. Several analysts noted that a few close calls last year, notably the Air Canada incident in San Francisco, could have dramatically changed the outcome.
The analysts also said there have been substantial improvements in the developing world, which has long trailed behind in airline safety. Some of the improvement, the Journal says, can be attributed to changes at banks and leasing companies that have made it easier for airlines in less-developed countries to afford new airplanes. That has reduced the number of old, poorly maintained aircraft in the air. Also, the European Union began publishing a list of “blacklisted” airlines in 2006, the Journal says. That pressured the offending airlines to improve safety if they wanted to attract customers. Other key changes: The International Air Transport Association in 2003 began requiring members to pass a safety audit; self-correcting safety systems in aircraft; a 90 percent drop in runway incursions due to improved technology; and cockpit systems that warn pilots of unsafe runway conditions.
