Donald Trump takes credit for zero passenger flight deaths in 2017

 

 

Donald Trump has suggested he is responsible for the decline in passenger flight deaths in 2017.
The US President said he has "been very strict on commercial aviation" since becoming US President thereby improving the safty of aeroplanes.
Dutch-based aviation consultancy To70 on Monday released its annual Civil Aviation Safety Review that reported only two fatal accidents, both involving small turbo-prop aircraft, with a total of 13 lives lost. No jets crashed in passenger service anywhere in the world. The two crashes that occurred on New Year’s Eve – a seaplane in Sydney which killed six, and a Cessna Caravan which crashed in Costa Rica, killing all 12 on board – were not included in the tally, since both aircraft weighed under 5,700kg — the threshold for the report.
Trump took credit for this, tweeting: "Since taking office I have been very strict on Commercial Aviation. Good news – it was just reported that there were Zero deaths in 2017, the best and safest year on record!"

Mr Young, a senior aviation consultant for To70, on Monday described the improved safety level of civil aviation as "remarkable", but warned the historic low was unlikely to be maintained. He told The Independent that the positive figures could be taken as "good fortune".
But he added: "The risks to civil aviation remain high as shown by the seriousness of some of the non-fatal accidents."

In March, the US Department of Homeland Security suddenly announced a ban on laptops and other electronic devices bigger than a mobile phone on flights from 10 Middle Eastern and North African airports to the US. The UK immediately followed with a similar ban. But pilots have already warned of the "catastrophic" potential of the ban.
Mr Young warned that electronic devices in checked-in hold luggage pose a growing danger, as they are "difficult to extinguish if they catch fire".
Laurie Price, former Aviation Advisor to the Transport Select Committee and Adrian Young, a private pilot, told The Independent at the time: "We have had numerous incidents of devices with lithium batteries suddenly bursting into flames. If that is in the aircraft cabin, it can be dealt with. If in the aircraft hold, the fire-suppression systems are unlikely to be able to contain it and there is a lot of material to exacerbate such fires including other baggage, the aircraft structure, fuel and systems in an area which is inaccessible in flight.
"The consequences could be catastrophic."
Meanwhile, Twitter users have called out Trump for taking credit for the improvement in the aviation  sector.

 

- LIB