The chief executive of International Air Transport Association (IATA), Tony Tyler, has issued a statement mourning a "tragic week for aviation".
On July 17, Malaysia Airlines' flight MH17 crashed in Ukraine while flying to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam (see story), killing 298, including 15 crew members. Pro-Russia rebels were accused of having shot the plane down, while Russia said Ukraine was to blame. The black box has been retreived and is being examined by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) in Farnborough, UK.
On Wednesday, an aircraft of Taiwan-based Trans Asia Airways crashed on the Penghu Island due to adverse weather conditions, causing 48 fatalities (see story).
Yesterday, an MD-83 of Air Algérie lost contact with traffic control while making its way to Algiers from Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. Wreckage was subsequently found in Mali and the 110 passengers and six crew members are feared dead.
"Every accident is one too many. The greatest respect that we can pay to the memory of those involved is to leave nothing unturned in our quest to understand the cause and to take steps to ensure that it is not repeated," Tyler said in the statement.
He admitted that three tragedies within a week had cast doubt on aviation safety, but also asserted that "flying is safe".
The future of MAS has been much discussed, as prior to the crash of MH17 it was already struggling with the aftermath of the disappearance of MH370, which has vanished without a trace since March 8. The airline has been hemorrhaging financially due to ensuing compensations paid to victims' families. But the airline has displayed resilience with a Twitter campaign called #staystrong, and even reached out to those who have family members or loved ones in the other two accidents (click here). Earlier this week, it also offered customers with tickets booked before the MH17 incident the option to refund without penalities (see story).
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Reggie Ho
