After an Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashed last week, a South Korean Jeju Airlines passenger plane suffered a serious air crash, and the commercial aviation industry suffered its deadliest year since 2018. Data compiled by Ciium shows the death toll from passenger plane crashes so far this year has jumped to 318 after the latest two accidents. That's the highest level since more than 500 people were killed in air crashes in 2018, the first of two crashes involving a Boeing 737 Max.
At the beginning and end of this year, tragic accidents occurred in Japan and South Korea during the landing phase, the most dangerous stage of flight. Fatal aviation accidents remain very rare, and one major incident can sway the statistics for an entire year.
"The recent surge in data falls into the unpredictable category," said Darren Straker, a former head of aviation accident investigation units in the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong. He suggested that crew training could be enhanced to better respond to so-called unusual events.