Making Southeast Asia’s skies safer

Last week, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration downgraded the safety rating for the entire Thai aviation system, placing it among those of a handful of countries — including Southeast Asian neighbors Bangladesh and Indonesia — that don’t meet international “minimum safety oversight standards.”

Boeing expects Southeast Asian airlines to account for around 10 percent of all passenger jet purchases between now and 2034, even as the number of air passengers in the region expands 6.5 percent annually. Rising safety concerns threaten both forecasts. Last year, more than 40 percent of fatalities on commercial airliners took place in the region.

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