Airline safety is always a major focus for Flight International at the beginning of each year, as it reviews the accidents and incidents of the past 12 months in its annual report.
After the crash in late December, involving Azerbaijani airline Embraer 190 and Jeju Air Boeing 737, the topic has already attracted attention from a high level of public attention.
Just a week after President Donald Trump took over the White House at the start of his second term in office, an airborne collision between the US Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter and PSA Airlines' Bombardier CRJ700 region jet shocked Ronald Reagan National Airport.
Some people questioned whether the daily use of low-altitude flight corridors with rotorcraft near military aircraft was waiting for this to happen effectively and effectively.
Others pointed to the reliance on older air traffic control systems and multiple close mistakes and runway intrusions recorded at US airports in recent years.
Meanwhile, Trump has posed the actions of the helicopter crew within just hours of the accident, which may have contributed, referring to the Federal Aviation Administration's efforts to promote diversity and inclusion through recent recruitment policies.
Includes a 12-page list of all fatal accidents and numerous important non-fatal events, as detailed in the 2024 Airline Safety Comprehensive Review – the worst can happen from time to time, but thankfully it only happens.
However, in an age where many crashes and their aftermaths are captured on CCTV footage or filmed on mobile phones, there is a possibility that the perception that things are getting worse and losses are becoming more frequent.
Covering 16 fatal accidents in 2024, 333 people lost their lives. 217 people in the final week. In some cases, the very professional behavior of the pilots and cabin crews, and slices of good fortune among others, meant that many others had survived the accident.
Meanwhile, companies that manufacture today's highly safe and efficient airliner crops are continuing their post-pandemic drives to boost power as they maintain an order backlog of Airbus and Boeing combined for over 14,200 new jets.
Last year, Boeing delivered a total of 1,114 due to manufacturing declines with the lack of door plug bolts on the Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 and the devastating strikes by the Machinists Coalition, particularly as it fought headwinds.
In 2025, repeating such slips while getting work back on track is essential, but “Big 2” will also need to begin preparing for the launch of a new program.
Will next year bring excitement to the excitement of new rivalries in the future of air travel? Perhaps, however, anything that comes next should be fuel efficient and easy to manufacture. Most importantly, it's safe.
