Airing the truth

Most people in the UK have flown in an aircraft. As many are aware, it is common for airline captains to announce to passengers upon arrival that "we have just completed the safest part of our journey". The good news is that, while more of us are flying, flying is also getting safer. In 2006, there were 27 fatal airline disasters worldwide, which is eight less than in 2005. The average number of airline disasters worldwide each year over the past decade has been 37. In human terms, this means around 900 to 1,000 passengers killed in airline disasters every year. Accident rates for smaller a...