The airline associated with the recent plane crash in Egypt that killed 224 people has had a poor track record of safety in the past. Indeed, the Russian Kogalymavia airline had experienced serious incidents in 2010 and 2011.
Additionally, some reports indicate that the airline has not paid its staff members for the past two months.
As for the recent crash, Kogalymavia blamed the devastating accident on “external factors”, saying that the jet involved was in “excellent condition”.
Kogalymavia is known for offering flights to destinations such as Turkey and Egypt. It is also known for several questionable incidents.
In 2010 one of the Tupolev airplanes of Kogalymavia made a rough landing which caused the plane to break apart and catch fire. A total of 46 passengers were injured in the process.
On New Year’s Day in 2011, three people died when one of the airline’s planes became engulfed in flames while on a Russian runway. The airplane, which was also a Tupolev jet, was only 28 days old at the time.
The company tried to change its image in 2012 by ending its usage of Tupolev planes and rebranding its name as Metrojet. However, the official name of the company is still Kogalymavia.
The airplane involved in the Egypt crash was 18 years old, and it had been operated by at least three other airlines in the past.
Kogalymavia has had a very poor year, as the number of people flying on the airline has dropped significantly. As a result, the company supposedly hasn’t paid salaries in the past two months.
The airline, which is based out of Russia, has been hurt by a reduction of Russian tourists this year.
Russia isn’t known for having the best air safety record. Many of the country’s smaller airlines like Kogalymavia are known for operating aging fleets of airplanes that they cannot afford to upgrade.
Indeed, small Russian airlines with only five to ten total airplanes are said to be particularly dangerous. These companies are known for spending the bare minimum when it comes to upkeep. Some people want the country to intervene to ensure proper safety.
When looking at these facts, it’s not much of a surprise that this disaster occurred. With an airplane built before the turn of the century being handled by an airline with a poor safety record, this was clearly a tragedy waiting to happen.
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