Lessons from a Black Summer

摘要

A spate of accidents during the summer has raised serious questions about the way safety standards are enforced worldwide. "Safety first" has been the motto of the air transport community since 'its beginnings. Thanks to the commitment of all players, the number of accidents has constantly declined over the last five decades despite rapid traffic growth. 2004 was the safest year ever. "Over 1.8 billion people flew safely last year. Tragically 428 people lost their lives. This is similar to 1945 when only 9 million people travelled by air," IATA director general Giovanni Bisignani noted with satisfaction last May. He added confidently: "But we must and will do better. Last year, we set a target to reduce the accident rate by 25% by 2006. We are on track to achieve this."