With the disappearance and presumed crash this weekend of an AirAsia jet with 162 people on board, 2014 is turning out to be a far more deadly year for airline travel than 2013, which saw 459 crash fatalities.
But 2014’s 1,326 fatalities as of Dec. 29 were inflated by two bizarre incidents: the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, following inexplicable behavior by a pilot, and the explosion and crash of a Malaysian jet hit by a missile over Ukraine. In the latter incident alone, 298 people died.
Even with those fatalities, airline travel in 2014 remained remarkably safe — and much safer than in the past, especially considering the number of flights and passengers.
Indeed, 2014 ranks as only the 59th deadliest year in aviation history, , and 87th (out of 97 years) in number of crashes.
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