(Editor’s note: The opinions expressed here are those of the author and not necessarily those of AeroSafety World or of Flight Safety Foundation.)
Europe’s air safety record is among the best in the world, and the industry’s stakeholders have succeeded in achieving a progressive reduction in the accident rate within commercial aviation operations over the past five decades.
Much of this improvement has been achieved through better understanding of human performance characteristics, improved training techniques and training devices, and massive investment in aircraft design, manufacturing and testing techniques. Likewise, substantial advances have been made in aircraft on-board equipment, especially avionics, autopilots and flight management systems.
Investment in ground facilities and satellite systems has improved navigational accuracy and infrastructure reliability and integrity, thereby facilitating better air traffic management and increased declared capa…
