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Cannix Yau

A global airline association is to examine recent high-profile turbulence incidents to get a better grasp on the causes and help carriers boost safety, its head has said.
Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), told its annual meeting in Dubai on Monday that they would look into the safety risks and assess the situation after two airline turbulence incidents left one man dead and more than 100 injured.
“Turbulence is not a new issue,” Walsh said. “It has been a factor in the industry for many years.
“Obviously we’ll continue to assess the recent events to understand it better and see if there is anything else that can be done.
“But there is a lot of work going on to ensure that we continue to move forward and enhance the safety of our operations … we never stand still and we never rest.
“We’re all the time working to continue to improve.”

The dangers of turbulence were underlined after last month’s high-profile incident on a Singapore Airlines flight, which left one man dead and injured more than 100 other passengers.
The airline said it was cooperating with authorities in an investigation into the incident.
A Qatar Airways flight over Turkey shortly afterwards also hit extreme turbulence en route to Dublin in Ireland, which left 12 passengers injured.
Walsh said IATA had a “Turbulence Aware” platform and that Dubai-based carrier Emirates at the end of last month became the latest airline to sign up.
“What Turbulence Aware does is it takes [information] from the aircraft in real-time, so if there is a turbulence event, it will record it,” he explained.
“It will then send details to other aircraft that are connected to the system to make them aware of the extent of the turbulence.”
Walsh also predicted global aviation net profits would hit US$30.5 billion this year, up 11.3 per cent on the estimated HK$27.4 billion for last year because of stronger demand for travel.
The number of global travellers is expected to reach a record high of 4.96 billion this year.
Air cargo volumes were predicted to increase to 62 million tonnes (68.3 billion tons) with industry revenue likely to hit an all-time high of US$996 billion in 2024.
“In a world of many and growing uncertainties, airlines continue to shore up their profitability,” Walsh said.
“The expected aggregate net profit of US$30.5 billion in 2024 is a great achievement considering the recent deep pandemic losses.
“With a record five billion air travellers expected in 2024, the human need to fly has never been stronger.”


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International Air Transport Association head Willie Walsh pledges industry will continue to work to reduce risk of turbulence injuries
Promise comes after incidents on Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways flights leaves one dead and more than 100 injured


International Air Transport Association head Willie Walsh pledges industry will continue to work to reduce risk of turbulence injuries.


High-profile turbulence injuries to be examined by global airline body in bid to boost flight safety

International Air Transport Association head Willie Walsh pledges industry will continue to work to reduce risk of turbulence injuries Promise comes after incidents on Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways flights leaves one dead and more than 100 injured

International Air Transport Association head Willie Walsh pledges industry will continue to work to reduce risk of turbulence injuries

Promise comes after incidents on Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways flights leaves one dead and more than 100 injured