Aircraft safety has always been in the centre of attention and the reasons for that are obvious – if an airplane crashes, it usually takes away the lives of all its passengers. Traditional methods of preventing accidents in the air include special focus on aircraft design and maintenance, pilots’ professionalism, air traffic control quality, etc. However, the events of September 11th have shifted the focus from traditional preventive measures to aviation security both on the plane and before boarding it.
The analysis of 9-11 events showed that aviation was the weakest spot. Therefore, special commissions and agencies, e.g. the Transportation Security Administration, were immediately organized to monitor the work of transportation facilities and their security. Various state-of-the-art technologies are now actively used for screening passengers and their baggage, which greatly increases travelling costs. It cannot be said that all this is done in vain as the USA has not had anything as dramatic as the 9-11 events since 2001. But unfortunately, the number of aircraft crashes has not decreased and is even growing. Of course, the reasons for the rise in the number of accidents can be the growth of the fleet itself. However, Edward H. Phillips asserts that the industry should focus “more on preventing accidents than determining what caused them” (Phillips, 1994, p. 52). The only reason why the cause should be found is to help find measures to prevent future tragedies.
So, it is true that the world has partially changed since September 11th and the attitude to aviation has changed, too. Aviation authorities as well as common people have become more alert to what or who may cause an accident. A number of new preventive measures promoting more passenger security have been introduced. However, these new measures should not stand in the way but rather contribute to the traditional ones which have been quite effective for decades.
References
Phillips, E.H. (1994, August 29). Focus on accident prevention key to future airline safety. Aviation Week & Space Technology, 141(9), 52-53.
