'Safety is expensive. But training of most airlines is cost-centric'

Flying has never seemed so risky, what with crashes, near misses and pilots freezing at the controls. Captain Shakti Lumba , an aviation veteran for 40 years and ex-operations head of IndiGo, tells Shobha John that aviation cannot be zero risk:
How do you define safety for the aviation sector?
Safety is risk identification and reduction to acceptable levels. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and regulators mandate only the minimum acceptable requirements. Prudent operators add a buffer margin to cater for error. But remember, any landing from which one can walk away is, in fact, a good landing. And it should be left to the discretion of pilots how they do so.
Is India an unsafe place to fly in?
It has a reasonably good statistical safety record. But this is more due to divine intervention than a proactive safety philosophy. Safety is expensive. But the training of most airlines is cost-centric. Sooner or later, they will be in trouble.
How safe is Air India (AI)?
Financially sound airlines are rarely unsafe. The most dangerous issue in a plane is "subtle pilot incapacitation" and for an airline, "subtle corporate incapacitation". AI seems a case of the latter.
11/06/10 Shobha John/Times of India

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Categories: Safety Jun 2010