Is it safe

SPECIAL REPORT

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Fortunately, all 189 passengers of the plane were safe, but a cabin crew member suffered serious injuries, and four others sustained minor wounds.

Notably, none of these aircraft accidents involve a Philippine carrier. And this is not by chance, industry players told The STAR, because they invest heavily on engineering and maintenance costs to ensure that each and every plane on their fleet is safe for navigation.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported that last year, the all-accident rate in flights was one in every 880,000, with seven fatal accidents out of 40.6 million flights.

However, as stated by IATA director-general Willie Walsh, every fatality is one too many. And in aviation, the principle is to learn from every accident out of respect for those who lost their lives.

Cebu Pacific vice president for engineering and fleet management Shevantha Weerasekera told The STAR that maintenance costs account for as much as 20 percent of operational expenses.

This is the largest item every year on Cebu Pacific's opex, only behind fuel. Weerasekera said the airline buys spare parts from the original manufacturer or designated distributor, and though this may drive up costs, it ensures the highest reliability and safety.