July 2014 turned out to be cruel month for everyone in the aviation business. The industry’s prayers are with all those who have lost their lives in the three tragedies that struck in July, and with their families and loved ones.
Every accident is one too many. The greatest respect that we can pay to the memory of those who met with an accident is to leave nothing unturned in our quest to understand the causes and to take steps to ensure that they are not repeated.
Safeguarding our customers as we transport them around the world forms the core of the mission of the aviation industry. In fact, it has been that way throughout our development over the last century.
The shooting-down of Malaysia Airlines flight 17 (MH17) was a particular outrage. It was a direct assault on the freedom of air travel that we take for granted. Civil aircraft are instruments of peace. They should never be the target of weapons of war.
Within days of this act, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) and the Airports Council International (ACI) joined with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to set up a task force to find ways of ensuring that civilian aircraft can never again become military targets.
The ‘system’ is not broken. Getting on an aircraft is still among the safest activities that one can do. But, clearly, it failed in the case of MH17. The challenge is to identify and close the specific gap or gaps that allowed this tragedy to happen.
Safety measuresAlthough the investigation is continuing, there are already two areas where change is needed.
First, it is essential that airlines receive clear guidance regarding threats to their passengers, crew and aircraft.
This information must be accessible in an authoritative, accurate, consistent and unequivocal way. It is the responsibility of governments to provide that guidance. There can be no excuses.
Second, we need an international framework that imposes on governments a duty to manage the design, manufacture and deployment of anti-aircraft weapons. Such frameworks exist for chemical, nuclear and biological weapons, plastic explosives, and global arms trading in general.
With sophisticated anti-aircraft weaponry now in the hands of non-state entities, this gap in international law must be filled quickly.
As an industry, we will overcome these challenges. And we can be confident in the support and leadership of ICAO as we do so. Safety is, and will always be, our top priority. The heart-rending events of the past month have reminded us that safety is also a constant challenge.
Every day, approximately 100,000 flights take to the sky and land without any troubles. Flying is safe. And we will make it even safer.
The writer is the DG and CEO of International Air Transport Association