securite_p2_en
4.
Are there airlines safer than other ones?
Yes. The probability you
have to be on an airline flight which
results in at least one fatality varies
depending on the airline
you are flying with.
| Airlines |
Odds
of being on an
airline flight which results in at least one fatality |
| Top
25 airlines
with the best records |
1 in 4.25
millions |
| Bottom
25 airlines with
the worst records |
1 in 386,000 |
There are two main
reasons which explain these variations:
1 - Even if all the airlines
must comply with the safety standards requested by the ICAO
(International
Civil Aviation Authority), the control and oversight of the regulation
appliance is under the responsibility of the Civil Aviation Authority
of the
state where the airline has set its main base. But knowledge and
organisation
of the National Authorities are different from one country to another.
Foreign
Authorities can only perform control of aircraft landing in their
country (and can decide to ground an aircraft). But since only
a few
aircraft can be controlled, foreign Authorities generally trust
the Authority of the state where the airline has set its main
base. For more information, go to the chapter
detailing the technical control performed by
Authorities on foreign airlines.
For
example, if
a Russian aircraft lands in Paris (France),
French Authorities are
allowed to control and ground the aircraft if it does not comply with
its
regulation. But there are so many aircraft landing in France
everyday
that they can not be all controlled. This Russian aircraft is not
likely to be controlled. French Authorities must trust the Russian
Authorities to let the aircraft operating in France.
 2 - An aircraft
manufacturer requests to their customer airlines an actions list to
ensure that
the aircraft will be safe all along its life. This is, for example,
regular
checks, a list of mandatory and optional equipment, …
Some airlines decide to
add constraints to this actions list. For example, some optional
equipment
could be mandatory. This increases the airline safety, but it also
drastically
increases the aircraft operating cost.
Then, you understand
that some airlines will not add their own constraints. The safety of
these
airlines will be at its lowest acceptable level.
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