How Safe Are The World’s Safest Airlines?

At 1 pm local time on August 3, 2016, an Emirates Airlines plane crash landed at Dubai airport after catching fire, mid air and burst into flames shortly thereafter. At 12:45 p.m. local time as Flight EK521 approached Dubai airport to land the pilot announced an emergency landing apparently triggered by a problem with the landing gear. The plane landed with smoke billowing and exploded into flames moments after passengers were evacuated. Despite major damage to the aircraft all the 282 passengers and 18 crew were reported safe.  Although this was a very unfortunate incident that could have turned disastrous, the fact that all the passengers and crew emerged safe, is a blessing in disguise. Investigation in the days to come will probably reveal what led to this incident and if there was any human element to it. According to Alex Macheras, a London-based aviation expert-  "Emirates operate an entirely longhaul fleet ... this aircraft was coming in on a steady and normal textbook approach to the airport, which is very congested. Looking at the shocking photos, the landing gear is nowhere to be seen." Lets take look at the safety elements involved in this incident.

1.  Emirates Airlines Safety Ranking

In January 2016, Emirates was rated as having a perfect 7/7 safety and product rating by aviation analysis portal AirlineRatings.com. The ratings took into account operational history and incident records. Emirates ranked Number 2 in 2016 for airlines safety. JACDEC Airline Safety Ranking 2016 is given in the Table below. Rank           Airline                                           Country 1                  Cathay Pacific Airlines                 China, Hong Kong

2                  Emirates                                               UAE

3.                 EVA Air                                                 Taiwan 4.                 Qatar Airways                                  Qatar 5.                 Hainan Airlines                               China 6.                 KLM                                                      Netherlands 7.                 Air New Zealand                           New Zealand 8.                 Etihad Airways                              UAE 9.                 Japan Airlines                               Japan 10.               TAP Portugal                               Portugal 2.  What is Emirates Airlines Safety Record? Rated among the top ten in terms of airlines safety in 2016, Emirates has had 17 incidents this year.  Details of the incidents are in the link below. Emirates Airlines Safety Incidents

3.  What Is The Track Record Of Dubai Airport in Terms Of Safety?

Dubai Airport Is Considered a Very Safe Airport.  Here are incidents that have happened at Dubai Airport in the past. Most of them are way back in the past. September 2010: UPS flight 6 - a Boeing 747 - crashed soon after takeoff while en-route to Cologne, Germany. The flight had taken off but was on the way back after reporting smoke in the cockpit. Both crew members were killed when the aircraft crashed between Emirates Road and the Al Ain Highway, having narrowly avoided Dubai Silicon Oasis. March 2007: An Airbus A310-300 of Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight BG006 had its nose gear collapse while accelerating for take-off. Of the 236 people on board, 14 suffered minor injuries. At the time, the airport had one operational runway that was closed for nearly 8 hours, affecting the operations of 71 flights. November 1974: British Airways flight 870 is hijacked in Dubai before being flown to Tripoli and Tunis. March 1972: Sterling Airways flight 226 crashes on approach, killing 112.

4.  Boeing 777 Safety Record

The plane involved in the Emirates Airlines crash-landing was a Boeing 777.

How safe are Boeing 777's?

Lets take a look at the track record of the Boeing 777 in terms of accidents and safety incidents. Excluding the current incident, as of August 2016, the 777 has been in 15 aviation accidents and incidents, including six hull-loss accidents, one of which was caused by war conflict and another undetermined cause, for a total of 540 fatalities. Before 2013, the only fatality involving the twinjet occurred in a refueling fire at Denver International Airport on September 5, 2001, during which a ground worker had sustained fatal burns. The aircraft, operated by British Airways, suffered fire damage to the lower wing panels and engine housing; it was later repaired and returned to service. The type's first hull-loss occurred on January 17, 2008, when British Airways Flight 38, a 777-200ER with Rolls-Royce Trent 895 engines flying from Beijing to London, crash-landed approximately 1,000 feet (300 m) short of Heathrow Airport's runway 27L and slid onto the runway's threshold. There were 47 injuries and no fatalities. The impact damaged the landing gear, wing roots and engines. The aircraft was written off.

5.  The Combination That Enabled Passengers to Disembark Safely

This unfortunate incident involved Emirates Airlines ranked Number 2 in terms of safety.  The plane involved was a Boeing 777 which has a track record of safety and in addition the airport involved was Dubai airport, considered a very safe airport. It is indeed fortunate that a combination of a safe airline, airplane and a first rate airport were involved in this unfortunate incident which resulted in the safety of all the passengers and crew. Remains Of The Aircraft Seen With The Inflatable Slides Next To It What would have happened if one or more of this combination was a weak link, say an airline with a poor safety record or an airport that is not very safe or a plane type involved in a higher number of incidents, is anybody's guess.     --------------- About the Author: Srinivasan is an independent consultant working in the area of strategy and technology interventions in the public sector domain. He has worked in companies like IBM and TCS and has over 30 years of experience spanning 24 countries