Three accidents involving airplanes within a week are hurting Asia's air safety reputation

Recent accidents call Asia's airline safety record into question

Web posted on: Wednesday, August 25, 1999 4:11:21 PM EDT

From Lisa Barron
CNN Financial News Correspondent

In this story: CHART: Safety record Best, worst safety records RELATED STORIES, SITES

HONG KONG (CNN) -- After a turbulent two years, Asia's airline industry was just beginning to regain public confidence when three accidents in as many days shattered it again.

First, a Taiwanese China Airlines MD-11 crashed in Hong Kong on Sunday evening, as the pilot tried to land during a tropical storm. Two people were killed, 211 were injured. The next morning, a China Southern Airlines' Boeing 737 veered off the runway, while aborting a takeoff from an airport in the southern province of Guangdong. No one was hurt. On Tuesday, a fire erupted aboard another Taiwanese airline, UNI Airlines, as it landed in east-central Taiwan, injuring 28 people.

Why all the problems all at once?

"Some airports are less charted than others," says industry analyst Timothy Ross of Warburg Dillon Read. "Some of it is unfortunate timing. Some of it may be down to operator difficulties rather than equipment malfunction."

The term "operator difficulties" refers to a cockpit culture that analysts say results from recruiting pilots from the military.

"It's a very hierarchical approach to the running of the flight deck," Ross says. "There have been suggestions there's a macho attitude, no such things as go-arounds, you land the plane the first time every time, a desire not to be diverted, those sorts of things."

Taiwan's China Airlines and Korean Air both recruit from their militaries. Alongside Indonesia's Garuda, they're among the worst offenders in the region.

Since 1980, Garuda has had the most accidents among Asia's major carriers, 21 accidents that killed 294 people. China Airlines has had 14 accidents, but more deaths: 542. Korean Air has had 15 accidents, resulting in 243 deaths. That's not counting the 269 people killed when a plane was shot down after entering Russian airspace in September 1983.

Still, analysts point out Asia is also home to some of the safest airlines in the world. "You have some outstandingly safe airlines, highly professional airlines," notes Barry Grindrod, an analyst for Orient Aviation. "Cathay Pacific, Qantas, Singapore Airlines are classic examples of very safe, very well-managed airlines."

Furthermore, analysts say, state-run carriers are taking steps to improve safety. They're spending millions to implement stricter training and flying regulations, bringing in outside consultants and installing new warning systems.

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