IATA says global air travel has high levels of safety despite
disappearance of Malaysia Airlines MH370
SAFETY in global aviation remains high, the
International Air Transport Association says, as it seeks to improve in-flight
tracking after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
There
were 0.34 accidents per million flights in the first four months of 2014
compared with 0.32 over the preceding five years, IATA said overnight at its
annual general meeting in Doha, Qatar.
"The preliminary rate for the
industry as a whole (including non-IATA airlines) is performing strongly," with
0.29 accidents per million flights in January-April against 0.48 in the previous
five years, it said.
IATA groups 242 airlines representing 84 per cent of
global air traffic.
Its statement noted that the industry recorded three
accidents between January and April, including the mysterious disappearance of
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.
"Aviation stakeholders are united in
their desire to ensure that we never face another situation where an aircraft
simply disappears," said Kevin Hiatt, senior vice president at IATA's Safety and
Flight Operations department.
MH370 disappeared on March 8 en route from
Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people aboard. An extensive search in the
Indian Ocean has been unable to locate the plane.
An IATA taskforce on
in-flight tracking, formed by the UN's aviation agency, the International Civil
Aviation Organisation (ICAO), is to present its findings in
September.
"While states work through ICAO to develop and implement
performance-based global standards, the industry is committed to moving forward
with recommendations that airlines can implement now," said Mr Hiatt.
He
acknowledged, however, that airlines alone can decide if they want to implement
such standards.
Meanwhile the company specialising in air transport
communications and information technology SITA announced in Doha plans to
introduce a new aircraft tracking device.
"The solution, which is
currently being evaluated by several airlines for testing, will utilise
technology that is already installed in the aircraft to provide advanced
tracking capabilities," a statement said.
It said the system known as "SITA
AIRCOM Server Flight Tracker solution" will alert airline flight dispatchers "to
unexpected aircraft movements" it said.
According to its designers, "the
solution does not call for extensive additional cost or investment by the
airlines" as it relies on a system that is already installed in many aircraft.
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