Recent history shows that states which, like Indonesia, have had a consistently bad safety record compared with the world average can turn their safety around radically in a short time, providing their government is prepared to commit the necessary resources to safety oversight. This includes ensuring the national aviation authority is autonomous and has statutory powers to suspend airlines' air operators' certificates.
Nigeria has just completed such a change, but it will take a while for the results of it to show. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, meanwhile, says it has suspended or cancelled more than 20 operators' certificates, signalling that the whole way of operating in Nigeria has to improve.
Taiwan, which had a very poor accident record during the 1990s with more than 10 fatal accidents - many to small domestic operators but five involving flag-carrier China Airlines - has worked with ICAO and the Flight Safety Foundation.
The last Taiwan passenger fatal accident, in 2002, involved the high-altitude, fatigue-related structural failure of a 747-200 that was just about to be retired. The last turboprop fatal crash took place in December of the same year. The latter involved a Transasia Airlines ATR-72 freighter that went out of control in icing conditions. The four years since 2002 may not seem a long time, but it is the longest recorded period without fatal accidents Taiwan has seen.
Korean Air - and other South Korean carriers - had a similar experience to that of Taiwan during the 1990s and also sought remedies with international help. The last fatal accident to a Korean Air aircraft took place in 1999, when a 747-200 freighter suffered artificial horizon failure on the captain's side during a night climbing turn after take-off, and the aircraft followed a descending turn to impact.
2007 half year safety review
Source: Flight International
