Preliminary data confirms that 2019 saw less commercial aviation accidents than 2018 and other six years.
The total deaths because of commercial aviation accidents in 2019 were 293, according to preliminary data, thus making it the third safest year on record.
The Germany-based Jet Airliner Crash Data Evaluation Centre (JACDEC) reports that over a half of the fatalities took place in the March 10 crash of an Ethiopian Airlines’ Boeing 737 MAX 8 in which all of the 157 people on board died.
It was the second fatal crash in less than six months of 737 MAX and resulted in the global grounding of the jetliner.
JACDEC stated the disaster in March was an outlier and indicated that 48 per cent fewer people died in 2019 as compared to 2018 when 559 people died due to commercial aviation accidents.
Only 2013 and 2017 were safer years when it comes to commercial aviation since the Second World War, JACDEC reported.
Air safety analyst Jan-Arwed Richter, who heads JACDEC, stated the number of deaths likely would have been more in number if not for the grounding of the 737 MAX 8, believing the continued operation of the aircraft would have put passengers at danger.
JACDEC has assessed civil aviation accidents for around three decades. Accidents involving aircraft with a weight of over 5.7 tonnes or over 19 seats are recorded.
