Missing aircraft sparks interest in aviation insurance
Following the disappearance of the Malaysian jetliner, more mainland travellers are now considering buying accident insurance
Mainland travellers have become more keen in buying aviation accident insurance after getting a rude wake-up call following the disappearance of the Beijing-bound Malaysian jetliner with more than 239 people on board.
"I didn't consider buying aviation accident insurance every time I travelled by plane, but I will the next time as the Malaysia Airlines case has made me alert to the risk," said Zhang Jin, a Beijing resident who flies four to five times a year. "I have to consider how to protect my family if I am injured or die in a similar plane incident.
The aviation accident insurance is on a voluntary basis, but it's preferred
"Actually, it's very easy to buy the insurance online, but I have never been aware of its importance. I may not buy travel insurance, but aviation accident insurance is needed."
Sales of aviation accident insurance have risen sharply after Malaysia Airlines flight 370 went missing after taking off from Kuala Lumpur on March 8.
The plane is yet to be found.
An aviation accident insurance product for a single round trip offered by China Pacific Insurance on online shopping platform Taobao saw an average of 43 transactions per day after the incident, while the average in the week before the flight vanished was about 22 transactions.
A PICC Life Insurance's one-year aviation accident insurance product recorded 12 policies sold after the case, compared with three policies sold a week before the incident.