Turbulence in aviation industry

Air travel has a well-deserved reputation - so far - as being the safest, fastest form of transport across the world. However, this reputation has taken a serious knock after two air crashes in less than a month left hundreds dead. And the fear that international air transport authorities, airlines and aircraft manufacturers are not taking the safety of passengers seriously enough has been made worse by the fact that the planes that crashed were known to have some technical and safety concerns.

For example, the Yemenia plane that crashed off the coast of Comoros with 153 people on board earlier this week had previously been found to be unsafe by French aviation authorities. Yet the airline was able to continue operating the plane.

International air transport authorities need to quickly take steps to assure travellers that air travel remains safe. The European Union Transport Commissioner, Antonio Tajani, has called for the creation of a worldwide blacklist of airlines deemed to be unsafe. This idea needs to be accepted and implemented as quickly as possible, so that travellers can make informed decisions about their safety when they decide to purchase an air ticket.