“Fly the Friendly Skies,” the slogan of a major United States airline, might not be as popular now as it was for decades after it was introduced in 1965. Indeed, it was retired in 1996 before it was resurrected in 2013.
Perhaps, however, a new update to the slogan should focus on safety and the remarkable improvements that have occurred since the slogan was introduced.
According to a study by MIT researchers, the risk of a fatality from commercial air travel has diminished significantly in the past 50 years. “Aviation safety continues to get better,” Arnold Barnett, an MIT professor, said in August upon the release of a paper he co-authored that detailed the results of their research.
The study found the risk of fatality from commercial air travel between 2018-2022 was 1 per every 13.7 million passenger boardings globally. The risk of fatality between 2008-2017 was 1 per 7.9 million boardings. The risk was far higher from 1968-1977, when the risk stood at 1 per every 350,000 boardings.
“You might think there is some irreducible risk level we can’t get below,’’ Barnett said. “And yet, the chance of dying during an air journey keeps dropping by about 7 percent annually, and continues to go down by a factor of two every decade.”
Air travel, according to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation, is safer than driving on the nation’s highways. “Air travel is the safest form of transit in the U.S.” according to an article published last year. The article reported there were 614 total serious injuries in U.S. air travel between 2002 and 2020. Meanwhile, 44 million people were injured in passenger cars and trucks on U.S. highways during that same time frame.
Last year, there was one fatal commercial aviation accident. An accident killed 72 people in Nepal, and investigators said the mishap was the result of pilot error. In 2022, five deadly accidents resulted in 158 fatalities. An article in August indicates that 2023 “was the safest year in the past five years in terms of global accident rate, number of fatal accidents, total fatalities and fatality rate.” Salvatore Sciacchitano, International Civil Aviation Organization Council President said: “Our unwavering goal remains zero fatalities in commercial aviation. Achieving this ambitious target requires a collective effort. Together, we can and will make the skies even safer for every passenger and crew member.”
The military is also taking critical steps to improve safety. In October, the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center launched a new tool to help aviation safety officers prevent mishaps by providing an Aviation Analytics Dashboard that provides timely, comprehensive information to officers at all levels.
The focus on safety is particularly pertinent in November, which is Aviation History Month. From the Wright Brothers to Amelia Erhardt to the Tuskegee Airmen and more, aviation history has had many important moments.
AMG provides high-quality and precision manufactured metal components for aerospace, defense and medical customers. As a leading provider of these components, AMG commends the aviation industry’s continued focus on improving safety, and remains committed to doing its part to advance that objective.