IATA aviation safety report shows a reduction in the fatal accident rate in 2022

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released its 2022 Safety Report for commercial aviation, showing the lowest fatal accident rate compared to 2021 and to the five-year average (2018-2022).

The IATA, which represents some 300 airlines comprising 83% of global air traffic, released its 2022 Safety Report for global aviation.

In 2022, there were five fatal accidents involving loss of life to passengers and crew. This came down from seven in 2021 and an improvement on the five-year average (2018-2022) which was also seven. The fatal accident rate improved to 0.16 per million sectors for 2022, from 0.27 per million sectors in 2021, and also was ahead of the five-year fatal accident rate of 0.20, it said.

The accident rate was 1.21 per million sectors, a reduction compared to the rate of 1.26 accidents for 2018-2022, but an increase compared to 1.13 accidents per million sectors in 2021. The fatality risk declined to 0.11 from 0.23 in 2021 and 0.13 for 2018-2022. IATA member airlines experienced one fatal accident in 2022, with 19 fatalities.

The industry's 2022 fatality risk of 0.11 means that on average, a person would need to take a flight every day for 25,214 years to experience a 100% fatal accident. This is an improvement over the five-year fatality rate (average of 22,116 years).

"Accidents are rare in aviation. There were five fatal accidents among 32.2 million flights in 2022. That tells us that flying is among the safest activities in which a person can engage. But even though the risk of flying is exceptionally low, it is not risk-free. Careful analysis of the trends that are emerging even at these very high levels of safety is what will make flying even safer. This year's report, for example, tells us that we need to make some special efforts on turboprop operations in Africa and Latin America. Safety is aviation's highest priority, and our goal is to have every flight take off and land safely regardless of region or aircraft type."

Willie Walsh, Director General, International Air Transport Association (IATA)

The accident count pertains to commercial aviation operations, specifically scheduled/charter passenger or cargo service. Executive jet operations, training, maintenance/ test flights are all excluded.

Little over 32 million flights were operated in 2022, which is a 25% rise compared to 2021 but still 31% lower compared to 2019. The report said that five accidents in 2022 resulted in fatalities, compared to seven in 2021.

Despite the reduction in the number of fatal accidents, the number of fatalities rose from 121 in 2021 to 158 in 2022. The majority of fatalities in 2022 occurred in a single aircraft accident in China that claimed the lives of 132 persons. The airline involved was not an IATA member but is on the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) registry. The next largest loss of life occurred in an accident to an IATA member in Tanzania that resulted in 19 fatalities.

IATA said that the majority of fatalities occurred in a single aircraft accident in China Eastern flight 5735, which crashed in March 2022 that killed 132 persons and the next largest loss of life occurred in the Precision Air Accident in Tanzania which resulted in 19 fatalities.

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Emirates, one of the world's leading airlines, has recently stated that the Indian aviation market is large enough to accommodate all players profitably. This comes as good news for airlines operating in India, which has been facing a tough time due to the pandemic.

The Indian aviation market has been growing steadily over the past few years, with the number of domestic and international passengers increasing significantly. Despite the pandemic, the market is expected to rebound quickly, as air travel is expected to pick up once the situation improves.

Emirates, which operates over 70 weekly flights to 11 destinations in India, has been bullish on the Indian aviation market for several years now. The airline sees India as a key market, and has been expanding its operations in the country.

According to Emirates, the Indian aviation market has the potential to grow even further, and there is room for more players to enter the market.

A senior Emirates executive said the expansion of Air India might push airports to improve their services, which will be a positive development for all other airlines, Indian customers as well as the aviation and travel industries as a whole.

"Air India flying to new international routes might also have a positive (effect) on Emirates. When a new route is operated by an airline, then that could result in increased traffic demand and the particular airline might not be able to cater to the demand. As a result, the potential customers will look at other carriers and that can have a positive impact."

Mohammed Sarhan, Vice President - India & Nepal of Emirates.

According to a report by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), India is expected to become the third largest aviation market in the world by 2025, after the US and China.

Emirates optimism about the Indian aviation market is backed by data, as several reports have suggested that the market is set to grow significantly in the coming years.

The report also stated that India is expected to add around 400 million new passengers by 2030, which is more than any other country in the world. This presents a huge opportunity for airlines operating in India, as they can tap into this growing demand and expand their operations.

The Indian aviation market presents a huge opportunity for airlines, and Emirates' optimism is a testament to this. As the market continues to grow, it is likely that more airlines will enter the market, and competition will intensify. However, as long as airlines are able to provide high-quality services at competitive prices, they should be able to succeed in the Indian aviation market.

Air India’s management has proposed a single simplified salary structure and a common master seniority list for 3,100 pilots across Tata airlines, as the group begins the process of the integration of four carriers.

These were among the proposals put forth at separate town hall meetings with pilots of Air India and Vistara on Thursday. The meetings were addressed by Air India CEO Campbell Wilson, Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan, and senior pilots and HR heads of the two airlines. They were joined by an executive from consulting firm BCG, which is advising the Tata group airlines on integration.

As a part of the integration, Vistara would be merged into Air India to create a single full-service airline. AIX Connect (AirAsia India) would get merged with Air India Express and serve as no-frill airline in the domestic and international markets.

Currently, the Tata group airlines have a combined fleet of 218 aircraft. Another 470 aircraft are on order and would be delivered over the next 7-10 years.

As a part of the integration, Vistara would be merged into Air India to create a single full-service airline.

At Thursday's meetings, pilots were informed that there would be a single-simplified salary structure based on scope of operations. Rapid fleet and network growth would also create significant opportunities across bases.

A single master seniority list would be used for career progression. Pilots were also told that lateral hiring would be minimised and internal promotions would be encouraged. A career path would be created for command opportunities on wide-body aircraft for all the pilots.

The management said the induction of planes and setting up of an in-house training centre would also create opportunities for instructor roles. The training centre is planned to have over 20 full-flight simulators, 150 classrooms, and mock-up training infrastructure with AR/VR facilities.

At present, Air India has the largest pilot strength of 1,500 among group airlines. Vistara has 800 pilots while AIX Connect and Air India Express have around 400 pilots each. Last week, Air India said it would hire 900 pilots in 2023 to support the expansion plan.

At present, Air India has the largest pilot strength of 1,500 among group airlines.

Pilots are yet to get full clarity on the management’s proposals. “What exactly will be the criteria for fixing a single seniority list in all four airlines,” a pilot remarked.

Air India was unable to create a single seniority list of pilots after merging with Indian Airlines in 2007 as pilots from both sides bickered on the issue.

“The management has also said unified policies for staff travel and other benefits will be shared by March-end. These are matters of service regulations and should be discussed with unions before implementation," another senior captain remarked.

With inputs from business standard.

On March 6th, 2023, two United Airlines planes collided on the tarmac at Boston International Airport, further adding to the airport's recent woes. The collision of the two United Airlines planes is a concerning development, as it highlights the potential for more serious accidents or incidents to occur at the airport.

United flight 515 heading to Newark, New Jersey, was being pushed back from the gate at around 8:30 a.m. local time when its wing clipped the tail of United flight 267 parked at an adjacent gate and heading to Denver.

The airline told that both aircraft were taken out of service and passengers were rebooked on different planes to their destinations. No injuries were reported, but the Federal Aviation Administration told it is investigating the event.

Two United Airlines Boeing 737 planes scheduled to depart from Boston Logan International Airport on Monday collided on the ramp.

The news comes after a series of near-misses and airport incidents over the past few months. In early February, two other United planes — a Boeing 787 and a Boeing 757 — collided at Newark, with the latter nearly losing its entire winglet.

About a week later, an American Airlines aircraft crashed into a shuttle bus at Los Angeles International Airport, sending four to the hospital.

It also raises questions about the airport's maintenance and safety protocols, and whether they are adequate to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.

Two United planes clipped each other at Boston airport.

In response to the incident, United Airlines released a statement expressing their concern and stating that they are cooperating with authorities to investigate the cause of the collision.

The airport also issued a statement apologizing for the inconvenience and stating that they are working to minimize the impact on passengers.

Air India on Wednesday, March 8 said 15% of its 1,825 pilots are women pilots, making it an airline with the largest number of female pilots.

To mark International Women's Day, the Tata Group-owned Air India, along with Air India Express and AirAsia India, has scheduled more than 90 all-women crew flights, and the carriers have been operating these all-women crew flights on international and domestic routes since March 1. The number is also significant for the 90th Anniversary of Bharat Ratna JRD Tata’s first commercial flight.

https://twitter.com/airindiain/status/1633471589479235584

"Of the 90+ flights operated by all-women cockpit and cabin crew, Air India is flying 40 flights across domestic and international locations, whereas Air India Express is operating 10 all-international flights to the Gulf route and AirAsia India is operating over 40 flights within India," it said.

According to the carrier, women constitute over 40% of Air India's workforce, with 275 of its 1,825 pilots being women, representing 15% of the cockpit crew strength and making it an airline that has one of the largest numbers of female pilots.

Air India CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson said India has the largest number of commercial women pilots in the world.

"India has the largest number of commercial women pilots in the world and with more Indian women pursuing careers in aviation, we are achieving gender equality in the workforce.With more Indian women pursuing careers in aviation, we are achieving gender equality in the workforce. We are proud of the women workforce with us at Air India today, and we thank each of them for sending out a powerful message that women can excel in any field."

Campbell Wilson, CEO & MD, Air India

At Air India Express and AirAsia India, over a third of the workforce comprises women.

"Several women play a key role in various departments, including in the domains of finance, commercial, human resources, customer happiness, flight training, technology, flight dispatch, engineering, safety and operations control. The two airlines have a total of 97 women pilots," the release said.

Besides, the cockpit and cabin crew most of these flights will be served by women dispatchers, safety and quality auditors, loaders, engineers, and security as well.

https://twitter.com/airindiain/status/1633370667537289216

Air India has also operated the world's first all-women crew flight across the globe from Delhi to San Francisco, besides flying a similar flight charting the polar route.

Women in Indian Aviation

Across all airlines in India, there are about 12.4% of female pilots. Despite being far lower than in other sectors, this still places India as the nation with the greatest proportion of female pilots globally.

The Indian Air Force began recruiting women pilots for helicopters and transport aircraft back in the 1990s. It wasn’t until this year that they were allowed to take up fighter roles.

Air India has also operated the world's first all-women crew flight across the globe from Delhi to San Francisco, besides flying a similar flight charting the polar route.

Some airlines in India are devising policies to retain female talent. IndiGo, India’s largest passenger airline, said it offers flexibility to women pilots and crew to continue working safely, excluding flying duties, during pregnancy. It gives 26 weeks of paid maternity leave that is required under law and also offers creches for childcare. Women pilots can opt for a flexible contract with two weeks' leave in a calendar month until a child is 5 years old.

Vistara offers pregnant pilots and cabin crew the option of temporary jobs on the ground or administrative roles until they are ready to fly, according to a spokesperson. It also gives paid maternity leave for six months and reimburses creche fees.

Capt. Nivedita Bhasin became the world’s youngest commercial airline captain in 1989, but the Indian pilot still recalls her early years when other crew would urge her to rush into the cockpit so passengers wouldn’t get nervous at the sight of a woman flying their plane.

In the September issue of the 100 Knots' monthly magazine, she speaks in length about women in aviation and her association with The Ninety-Nines.

Three decades after Bhasin’s career began, female pilots are no longer a rarity in India, making the country a success story when it comes to diversity in the airline industry. India has the highest percentage of female pilots globally, the International Society of Women Airline Pilots estimates, with about 12.4% of all pilots women, compared with 5.5% in the US, the world’s largest aviation market, and 4.7% in the UK.

One of the youngest Cargo Airline in India, Pradhaan Air Express is grateful for having been given the opportunity to support the effort of the international aid agency's relief supply movement from Indian soil to Turkey. The operation of the World's first and only A320 Freighter from Delhi to Adana is also a reflection of strengthening India-Turkey ties. The Airline believes it was India's first private cargo airline to operate a freighter for emergency relief supplies to Turkey. 

The Airline operated its maiden relief flight to Adana, Turkey for Chapman Freeborn. The Aircraft operated with a technical stop at AL Maktoum Airport, also marking the first-ever flight by the A320 Freighter to Dubai World Central Airport. 

The Airline is grateful to MOCA, DGCA, BCAS in India, GCAA UAE and DGCA Turkey for their assistance at short notice in enabling this operation. 

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit central southern Turkey on February 6, near the Syrian border, followed by hundreds of strong aftershocks. The quake killed approximately 40,000 people, destroyed extensive infrastructure and left many needing emergency aids. 

At least 150,000 individuals are without homes in Turkey andmore than one million people are seeking temporary accommodation. The earthquakes damaged and destroyed hospitals, limiting access to proper drinking water and sanitary services. 

The aircraft with 20.4 tons of available capacity remains available for the transportation of urgent materials across the region.