Inspections and maintenance of planes can never be compromised

THE CRASH OF THE GERMANWINGS AIRCRAFT with 144 passengers and six crew on board has shocked the world. With increasingly more details about the tragedy being revealed concerns have been voiced about flight safety, with the focus on Germanwings being a budget airline and the plane having been in service for over 24 years. Comments:

Australia-based Jetstar has been rated seven-stars by the independent website Airlineratings.com, which is not inferior to some airline giants; Germanwings has been rated six-star, which is the second-highest rating. There are about 170 budget airlines globally, which occupy about 30 percent of the European and US markets, and 20 percent of the market in Asia-Pacific. There is no evidence they are more dangerous than their peers.

Guangdong Satellite TV, March 25