The Aviation Safety Network reported that 318 people died in aviation accidents last year, making 2024 the deadliest year for commercial aviation, recording the highest death toll since 2018. December was the most tragic month, with plane crashes occurring in several countries.
A series of air disasters have claimed the lives of hundreds of people in many countries around the world, including South Korea, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Canada, and the United States. Last January, the USA suffered its worst air disaster since 2001, after 67 people were killed in a collision between two planes in the skies over Washington. Two days later, an ambulance plane crashed into a number of buildings in Pennsylvania.
Aviation Sector and Climate Change
Experts attribute the increase in accidents to several factors, the most important of which are weather and climate fluctuations that are difficult to predict. Former US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg says that climate change affects the transportation industry and increases aircraft turbulence, and everyone must learn to adapt to it in order to maintain safe transportation.
Buttigieg explained that hurricane seasons have become more extreme, and there are indications that weather disturbances have increased by about 15%. He added during a TV interview with the show "Face the Nation" that as climate change continues to affect weather conditions and make them more extreme, it will become necessary to continuously update and develop the aviation sector in order to maintain the safety of transportation.
The former US Secretary of Transportation's words are consistent with a recent study published by the British publishing house Emerald Publishing, which confirmed that aviation is one of the sectors most affected by extreme events resulting from climate change and global warming, especially in aircraft accidents.
Researchers tracked the effects of global warming and climate change on the global aviation sector between 2010 and 2022, and found that the effects of weather conditions on aircraft crashes around the world have increased over the past decade.
During 2024, the climate crisis played a role in increasing the rate of accidents due to various reasons:
The relationship between "Bird strikes" and the South Korean plane crash of December 2024
Climate change increases the risks of air travel directly or indirectly. In the case of “bird strikes,” scientists have observed changes in seasonal migration patterns and breeding times of birds due to climate change and rising global temperatures, thus increasing the risk of collisions between birds and flying aircraft during the winter.
According to data from Avisure, a consulting firm specializing in aviation risk management, 795 people have died in major aviation accidents caused by bird strikes since 1912. The list of these accidents includes 172 passenger aircraft and 506 military fighter aircraft, while the material damage is estimated at billions of dollars annually.
The company declares that the global aviation industry focuses its responses mainly during the spring and fall seasons, when the risk of bird collisions is high during the usual migration seasons. But recently, the climate crisis and warming have changed the times of breeding and migration, and bird strikes incidents have become difficult to predict.
On December 29, “Jeju Air” plane crashed in South Korea with 179 people dead. It was the country's deadliest aviation accident. A bird strike is believed to have caused the Korean plane to crash, as bird strikes can be dangerous to aircraft engines if birds get inside, according to "The Guardian”.
Air turbulence and the Singapore plane crash in May 2024
Air is always moving and flowing with eddies and currents. Sometimes it is calm and at other times it is turbulent and violent. The irregular and violent movement of air is known as turbulence, which is one of the most unpredictable weather phenomena. When an aircraft is exposed to turbulence, it may result in injuries or even deaths, in addition to structural damage to the aircraft.
Research shows that severe turbulence is becoming more likely as the planet warms, and some severe turbulence can send a plane out of control and off course.
A study by the University of Reading in the UK found that the skies are up to 55% more turbulent than they were 40 years ago due to climate change. Turbulence, some of which can be difficult to detect, is one of the most common causes of weather-related aircraft accidents.
On May 21, a Singapore Airlines plane was subjected to severe turbulence, killing one person and injuring 31 others, and was forced to land in Bangkok.
Climate change is having an impact on the aviation sector, so experts recommend closely monitoring weather conditions, adapting to all emergency situations, and taking into account behavioral changes in local and migratory birds to avoid any problems.
