The World We Live In

The past couple of weeks has reminded us all in the industry of the tragedies that can strike so unexpectedly. Safety critical events have occurred thrice, initially with the downing of MH17, a Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 with 298 souls on board, followed by the loss of AH5017, a SwiftAir MD83 operating on behalf of Air Algerie with 116 people on board. Here is not the place to go into the details of the accidents or how they occurred but working within the industry these events serve as a reminder of the risks.

In addition to these two events, the temporary ban on flights into Tel Aviv airport by US and European authorities, also shows how tragic world events can impact on the aviation industry.

I was working at the airport when news first broke about MH17 coming down in Ukraine and the possible circumstances surrounding it's crash. The first thing I (and some others in the office) did was look at my schedule and see if any of the aircraft I was dispatching were due to fly over Ukraine.

Although everyone's thoughts should be with those that lost their lives and their families and loved ones, I think it is worth mentioning that there are going to be people affected by the tragedies that no one has mentioned. The dispatchers, gate staff and ramp crews at Amsterdam and Ouagadougou were probably the last people to see those on the aircraft alive and I can't imagine how they have been affected by the loss on their flights.

So all I have left to say is that my thoughts are with all of those affected in some way by the tragic events of the last couple of weeks and that all we can do is hope and pray that there is no more loss of life in such tragic circumstances.

**EDIT** I have just remembered the loss of GE222, a TransAsia Airways ATR-72 with 58 people on board (48 have tragically died, with the remainder seriously injured). My thoughts go out to those affected by this accident and my apologies for overlooking it during my first draft.