So far 2009 seems have been a particularly cruel year for aircraft accidents; already there have been 10 major incidents that involved fatalities, six in the past 10 weeks alone and a number of people have asked me, just how safe are we when we fly?

There was an interesting statistic being quoted before the Buffalo crash back in February, apparently it had been the longest period in aviation history for the US major airlines without a fatality. That’s quite a claim considering that the number of flights is increasing all the time. Flight safety has now reached levels where the odds of dying in a plane crash are extremely low and it’s always a welcome relief to see how unlikely one is to die while flying.

If you fly with one of the top 25 airlines with the best safety record, the chance of dying on a single airline flight is 1 in 13.57 million, incredible odds and virtually identical to winning the Euromillions jackpot on Friday night.  If you are flying with one of the bottom 25 airlines, then it’s a different story, the odds drop to 1 in 1.13 million – you are ten times more likely to die in one of their aircraft. I bet you’d like those odds if it was the lottery. Putting this in context however and setting your mind at ease, NASA estimates that the odds of an asteroid hitting Earth and killing us all within a human lifetime are about 1 in 12,500. You are 100 times more likely to die, along with everybody else on the planet (perhaps Armageddon was a documentary after all?) than perish in an accident with one of the least safe airlines – cheery news indeed. (Source, Plane Crash Info).

At this point I must declare an interest having worked for two international airlines in the past. However, this allows me to speak with an element of insider knowledge and I can testify that for airlines, nothing comes before safety. It is the be-all and end-all for an airline; it is drummed into you regardless of your level of seniority or position. From the baggage loaders and catering staff through to the engineers and flight crew, you never take chances. It is this ingrained notion of responsibility which insists that corners are never cut, culminating in a reassuring message conveyed by a smooth-talking captain or right-hand seat driver just before departure. You may hear “welcome aboard, delighted to see you, etc. etc.” but what he really means is, “trust me to get you to your destination because I trust my airline colleagues who have prepared this aircraft”, and let’s face it, if the captain isn’t happy, he’s not likely to take a chance with his own life. If something does happen, you have the professionalism of the flight crew to call upon and save your bacon – witness the US Airways Hudson River ditching or the British Airways engine failure at Heathrow last year, both involving amazing feats of airmanship.

A scary experience while flying is still fairly rare. I used to fly quite a bit with work, roughly 75 flights a year for a few years, typically a lot more than an average airline passenger. In that time, I never had a go-around, encountered heavy turbulence only once, enjoyed only a few hairy landings and had only two major delays of about 6-8 hours each. Admittedly I do consider those stats better than average but it shows that disconcerting incidents, never mind crashes involving fatalities, are few and far between.

Most things we do have an inherent risk: crossing the road, skiing, golfing, the list is endless. So, are we safe when flying? While it can be dangerous and people will inevitably die from accidents, the safety record of flying is impressive and not a cause for concern. Happy flying! Ian Bradley.