As the search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501 continues, this tragedy caps off one of the world's deadliest years in civil aviation for almost a decade, according to Amanda Macias and Reuters, in an article in Business Insider.
Even before the jet went missing in bad weather on Sunday between the Indonesian city of Surabaya and Singapore, some 762 people had lost their lives in seven fatal accidents this year.
If the Indonesian-registered aircraft is confirmed to have crashed, killing all on board, the accident would make 2014 the worst year for loss of life in civil aviation since 2005, when 1,014 people were killed in passenger accidents, according to the Netherlands-based Aviation Safety Network.
But the number of fatal accidents in 2014 would stand at only eight, if flight QZ8501 is included, compared with 24 in 2005. This would be the lowest in memory, reflecting the peculiar nature of this year’s disasters.
"Remarkably, 2014 has the lowest number for passenger flight accidents in modern aviation history,” said Harro Ranter, founder and director of Aviation Safety Network, which runs an independent database.
More on the worst air disasters of 2014 on Business Insider.
