2024 ends how it started: With flight safety obviously

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

On Jan. 2, a Japan Airlines Airbus A350 crashed into a Japan Coast Guard DHC Dash-8 while landing at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, killing five of the six Coast Guard crew members on board. The A350 overran the runway and burst into flames, but miraculously, all 367 passengers and 12 crew were able to get out with only a few minor injuries reported. It was the first major accident involving an A350 since the type entered service in 2015.

Days later, a “door plug” fell off an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 from Portland International Airport (PDX), causing a huge explosion in the cabin as the plane climbed 16,000 feet. The plane returned safely to PDX with no passengers seriously injured despite the harrowing experience.

Both incidents started a long debate about safety inside commercial aviation, which statistics show is the safest mode of transportation in mass. The evacuation of Japan Airline took an alarmingly long time, although the actions of the staff, the willingness of passengers to follow the rules and leave hand luggage and the composite materials used to build the airframe all contributed to the positive outcome.

Meanwhile, the Boeing episode has restarted scrutiny of the long-troubled company after bolts meant to hold the door plug were found to be missing. The crisis that began with the incident led to multiple investigations, the dismissal of senior executives and the re-implementation of its safety and quality control procedures and frustration among airlines around the world. It has also led to many months of public focus on flight safety, and many common incidents and safety incidents that make headlines and draw news cameras (for example, “emergency landing” due to extreme caution that does not involve any danger to those on board).

Now, as the year draws to a close, security is back in the spotlight following two horrific and devastating episodes that have fared worse than those at the start of the year.

Last week, an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer E190 flight from Baku, Azerbaijan to Grozny, Russia crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan after reportedly being hit by Russian jet fire, which is raging amid the country’s ongoing war with Ukraine. The plane had deviated from its flight plan due to disruption of its navigation systems, another feature of the Russian air war. Of the 67 people on board, 38 died.

Then on Sunday, a Jeju Air flight from Bangkok crashed while landing at Muan International Airport in South Korea. The video showed the Boeing 737-800 skidding past the end of the runway, without its landing gear, flaps or speed brakes extended, before crashing into a wall and bursting into flames. Two crew members reportedly survived with serious injuries, while the rest of the 179 people on board died.

It was not yet clear what caused the accident. Reports suggest that the plane struck a bird on approach, although that alone would not explain the catastrophic crash.

Both of these events are likely to have an impact on the new year.

US airlines and many European airlines are avoiding Russian airspace during the conflict, both because of sanctions and in the interest of security. This has created challenges for airlines that want to connect the United States with Europe and Asia, and many airlines have since modified their networks.

However, many Asian and Middle Eastern airlines continue to fly to parts of Russia, including Etihad, Emirates and Qatar Airways. As conflicts continue to emerge and airlines continue to assess risks, it is possible that flight routes will change, temporarily or permanently, which may affect the operation of other routes.

As the investigation into the Jeju Air crash continues, the results may lead to changes in certain processes or procedures, either within the airline, among all South Korean carriers, or globally. As commercial aviation has become safer, with backups and redundancies for almost everything, it usually takes a series of things to go wrong to cause a fatal accident. In other words, it is possible that the investigation will reveal many other factors.

However, one thing is certain: All eyes are once again on flying, and what can be done to make it even safer.