A Critical Look at the Global Increase in Aviation Accidents

On Sunday 29^th of December, flight 7C 2216 of Jeju Air, a Boeing 737-800, was making its landing at Muan International Airport in southern South Korea. There it faced a devastating accident that resulted in the death of 179 people which included both passengers and crews. The yearend saw the devastating crash only days after the crash of an Azerbaijanian plane crash.

Commercial air travel has thrived due to technological progress and strict safety standards worldwide in the last century, and it has become the preferable mode of travel for long distances. However, in recent years there emerged a worrisome trend of aviation accidents higher than ever in the year 2024. This is causing everyone to look closely the commercial air travel, its safety standards and practices and its manufacturers.

The Fatal Crashes of 2024

1. Jeju Air Boeing 737-800: On December 29, a catastrophic gear-up landing at Muan Airport, South Korea, resulted in the plane skidding off the runway and striking a wall, causing it to break apart and catch fire. Out of 175 passengers and crew, only two flight attendants survived.
2. Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190: On December 25, severe weather forced a reroute to Aktau Airport, Kazakhstan. The aircraft crashed during landing, killing 42 out of 67 onboard.
3. DHL Cargo Plane: On November 25, a Swiftair-operated DHL Boeing 737-400F crashed while approaching Vilnius International Airport, resulting in one fatality and four injuries.
4. Azimuth Airlines Sukhoi Superjet 100: On November 24, a severe landing mishap at Antalya Airport, Turkey, caused significant damage and a fuel leak that ignited a fire. All 95 passengers and crew were safely evacuated.
5. Total Linhas Aereas Boeing 737-400F: On November 9, a fire outbreak in the cargo hold led to an emergency landing at Sao Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport, Brazil. Both pilots escaped unharmed.
6. China Southern 787-9 Dreamliner: On October 21, a tail strike during a hard landing at Guangzhou-Baiyun International Airport caused significant damage but no injuries.
7. SAM Air DHC-6 Twin Otter: On October 20, the aircraft crashed while approaching Bumi Panua Pohuwato Airport, Indonesia, killing all four occupants.
8. Turkish Airlines Airbus: On October 18, a tail strike occurred during a landing attempt at Dublin Airport, Ireland.
9. Delta Air Lines Airbus A350-900: On September 10, a taxiway collision at Atlanta Airport with an Endeavour Air Canadair CRJ-900 resulted in minor injuries to a flight attendant.
10. Trigana Air ATR42: On September 9, the aircraft veered off the runway after aborting take-off at Serui Airport, Indonesia, suffering severe damage but no injuries.
11. Voepass Airlines ATR-72: On August 9, extreme icing conditions caused a crash near Vinhedo, Sao Paulo, Brazil, killing all 62 onboard.
12. Saurya Airlines CRJ200: On July 24, a crash during take-off at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu, resulted in 18 fatalities out of 19 onboard.
13. Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER: On May 21, severe turbulence over Myanmar led to one fatality and 30 hospitalisations. The flight made an emergency landing in Bangkok.
14. Transair Boeing 737-300: On May 9, an aborted takeoff at Dakar-Blaise Diagne International Airport, Senegal, resulted in 10 injuries and irreparable damage to the aircraft.
15. Serve Air Cargo Boeing 737-300: On May 5, a runway overrun at Kinshasa-N’djili International Airport, Congo, caused substantial damage due to an engine failure.
16. All Nippon Airways Boeing 787-9: On March 20, lightning strikes caused significant fuselage damage while the aircraft descended toward Tokyo-Narita Airport.
17. Russian Ilyushin Il-76M: On January 24, a crash in Belgorod, Russia, killed all 74 onboard, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war.
18. Air France A350-941: On January 21, a tail strike occurred during a go-around at Toronto-Pearson International Airport.
19. Jetways Kenya Fokker 50: On January 18, a crash while landing at Ceelbarde Airstrip, Somalia, resulted in one fatality and several injuries.
20. United Airlines Boeing 737-900ER: On January 10, a tail strike during landing at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport caused significant damage.
21. Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9: On January 5, rapid decompression due to a detached door plug led to minor injuries for eight passengers and crew.
22. Flybondi Boeing 737-800: On January 5, a tail strike during landing at Mar del Plata International Airport, Argentina, caused substantial damage.
23. Japan Airlines Airbus A350: On January 2, a collision with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft at Haneda Airport, Tokyo, resulted in five fatalities among the Coast Guard crew.

Despite numerous progress and technological advances, the landing phase of a flight movement is still the most vulnerable moment of aviation. Human error, logistical mishaps and manufacturing errors in this phase often contribute to fatal plane crashes. Tail strike- the contact of the rear end of a plane with the ground, hard landing- asymmetric veering off of a vehicle from the runway, Ground Collison- high impact contact of plane and ground and manufacturing defects are the most known causes of aviation accidents in today’s age.

The Curious Case of Boeing

According to Aviation Safety Network, the year 2024 saw a total of 297 aviation accidents out of which 185 of them were fatal, resulting in 1571 fatalities. Out of these 60 were commercial flights and 45 of those suffered from manufacturing defects. Out of the 45 vehicles, 30 were of the well-known areal vehicles manufacturer giant Boeing. The company once revered for its cutting-edge manufacturing and stellar safety standards has been slowly unravelling due to its many controversies all revolving around its faulty and deteriorating plane manufacturing.

The company came under public scrutiny last year when a door plug blew out of a nearly new Boeing 737 Max 9 during an Alaska Airlines flight. This incident thrust Boeing into the spotlight for safety concerns highlighting several manufacturing blind spots that have been continuing for several years. In later months the failure of the space shuttle Starliner resulted in the stranding of two astronauts in ISS who are yet to return to Earth. The 737 accident in South Korea is a recent addition to this.

However, it was not always the case. There was a time when the American giant was synonymous with stellar engineering when it came to aviation. The launch of the Boeing 737 commercial aircraft made the company the biggest aviation manufacturer in the world and the biggest exporter in America. With a record 10,000 sales, the 737 still holds the most manufactured plane to this day. However, the direction of the company shifted when it, merged with McDonnell Douglas- primarily a defence aviation manufacturer. With new leadership, the company started cost-cutting and manufacturing shifts at the expense of quality engineering. Shady business practices, lobbying and stock manipulation scandals also came to light. The effects of these started to show in their fleets a few years later. Several whistleblowers came forward to expose the company’s deeds out of which several went dead and missing through mysterious circumstances.

As a result, the American Federal Aviation Administration increased its oversight of Boeing putting it under multiple regulations. The company, which hasn’t posted any annual profit since 2018, went through several internal changes. Despite all these buyers, especially international ones, are still sceptical regarding the company.

Statistics suggest that the odds of dying in a plane crash are about 1 in 11 million. While this figure does boost confidence in favour of air travel, the year 2024 shows that even the most favourable odds can turn when faced with neglect and incumbency. Thus, manufacturers, airlines and government agencies throughout the world must take a critical look at their safety standards and practices when it comes to aviation.