Airlines saw record numbers in 2018, but not all of the records were good.
On one hand, they flew nearly 4.5 billion passengers on nearly 45 million flights worldwide, but on the other hand, they saw a 900 percent increase in airline fatalities.
According to the Aviation Safety Network, there were 16 fatal airliner hull-loss accidents and fatalities in 2018. Perhaps, the most famous of these incidents was the Lion Air Flight 610 crash near Jakarta, Indonesia, which is still under investigation. All of the passengers and crew members, a total of 189 people, were killed.
Other 2018 significant fatal airplane incidents include Saratov Airlines Flight 703, which crashed right after take-off from Domodedovo International Airport in Russia back in February, killing 71 passengers and crew members. February also saw another incident when Iran Aseman Airlines Flight 3704 crashed into the Zagros Mountain, killing all 66 passengers and crew members onboard. The U.S.-Bangla Airlines Flight 211 was another tragic crash at Tribhuvan International Airport, which resulted in 52 of the 71 people onboard dying.
With a total of 555 airplane-related deaths in 2018, that's a 900% increase in fatalities from 2017 when only 59 people died in airplane-related incidents, making it the safest year for aviation.
Considering that such a high number of airline fatalities has not occurred since 2014 when 692 people died, perhaps this is something to be concerned about.
As USA Today's John Cox, a retired airline pilot and safety expert, said of this year's record fatalities, "It serves as a powerful reminder of the critical importance of remaining vigilant and committed to transporting passengers, crew and cargo safely by air."
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