5 December 2014 Insurance

Cyber attacks threaten aviation safety

Despite improving safety in aviation, cyber attacks and the anticipated growth of drones in commercial use pose a growing risk to the industry.

This is according to a new report by Allianz Global Corporate & Speciality (AGCS) which added that this year’s aviation disasters contradict the industry’s long-term improvement in safety with currently fewer than two passenger deaths for every 100 million passengers on commercial flights.

By comparison during an early decade of the jet age (1962-1971) there were 133 passenger deaths out of every 100 million passengers.

But this will be tested by a number of potential new risk scenarios, including the increasing likelihood of cyber attacks, greater reliance on automation and the anticipated growth of drones in commercial use.

“New generation aircraft are highly exposed to cyber crime due to the prevalent use of data networks, onboard computer systems and navigation systems. Data breaches and cyber attacks are perceived to be growing risks,” said Ludovic Arnoux, AGCS’s global head of aviation risk consulting.

Henning Haagen, global head of aviation EMEA and Asia Pacific at AGCS, added: “Today there are fewer fatalities or total hull losses compared with the past, but new types of risk and losses, such as composite repairs, ground equipment damage or the risk of grounding, are additional drivers of exposure.”

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