Explainer | Explained: Asia’s aviation success stories – and its biggest flight disasters
- From budget airlines and a boom in passengers to the mystery disappearance of MH370 and the Lion Air crash, Asia’s aviation sector has seen stunning highs – and devastating lows
China is at the centre of the boom and is forecast to overtake the United States as the world’s largest passenger market in the mid-2020s.
Air passenger traffic in Southeast Asia grew by around 10 per cent in 2017, according to the CAPA Centre for Aviation.
Why does Indonesia have such a notorious air safety record?
Vietnamese airlines were recently cleared to fly directly to the US and code-share with American carriers.
Full-service carriers are facing stiff competition from rapidly expanding low-cost carriers.
Of 20 publicly traded airlines based in Southeast Asia, only six made a profit in the July to September 2018 period, according to CAPA.
Asia’s aviation industry is booming, so why isn’t it making money?
Overcapacity in domestic and international routes is also cutting into the revenues of Southeast Asian airlines.
Malaysia Airlines recently experienced two tragedies within the space of four months.
Malaysia Airlines flight MH370: The unanswered questions
Military radar logs showed the plane deviated from its planned northeastward route, turning west across the Malay Peninsula. It is believed to have crashed into the Indian Ocean after running out of fuel.
A second attempt to find the wreckage of MH370 was carried out on a “no-find, no-fee” basis by US-based company Ocean Infinity. The privately funded three-month search came to a close after finding no trace of the plane in May last year. The fate of MH370 remains a mystery.
MH17: missile that downed Malaysia Airlines jet in Ukraine came from
An international team of investigators concluded the plane had been brought down by a Buk missile that came from Russia’s 53rd anti-aircraft military brigade stationed in Kursk.
Intercepted communications between separatist fighters suggest the rebels had mistaken the civilian plane for a Ukrainian military jet.
The Kremlin has repeatedly denied any involvement in the downing of MH17, blaming the attack on Ukraine instead.
On October 29, 2018, Lion Air flight JT610 nosedived into the Java Sea shortly after taking off from Jakarta, killing all 189 people on board.
Lion Air crash: Boeing promises to reveal findings of investigation into technical issues
The airline, which has a spotty safety record, said the two-month-old Boeing 737 MAX 8 had a technical issue on its previous flight and repairs were carried out before the aircraft was cleared to fly.
But black box data revealed that the plane suffered an air speed indicator issue on three consecutive flights.
Lion Air may cancel US$22 billion in Boeing orders
Indonesia’s transport safety agency said the plane was not airworthy and should have been grounded after its penultimate flight.
After a second fatal 737 MAX 8 crash in the span of five months, a number of carriers around the world have grounded the aircraft.
