Flying is 'AS SAFE AS EVER' despite four high-profile air disasters in space of 13 months

FLYING is as "safe as it has ever been" despite a series of high-profile air disasters in the space of 13 months, according to aviation experts.

Debris from the Germanwings plane crashAP • EPA

The aviation industry has been hit by four high profile in the space of 13 months

The doomed Germanwings flight 4U952 crash is the latest which began with last year.

In total those two disasters, along with the and crashes, have left 849 people dead.

However, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) told Express.co.uk that in spite of the recent tragedies, commercial air travel is as "safe as it has ever been".

A spokesperson said: "UK commercial aviation has one of the best safety records in the world.

"Safety is, and always will be, the absolute top priority for everyone who works in the industry.

"The CAA works very closely with the aviation industry on all aspects of flight safety.

"Ensuring public safety is, and always will be our number one priority."

A Germanwings planeEPA

The Germanwings flight 4U952 crash left 150 people dead

Safety is, and always will be, the absolute top priority for everyone who works in the industry

A Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) spokesperson

Government figures showed deaths of passengers per 620million miles [one billion km] travelled by air was at a negligible figure between 2004 and 2013.

The director general and chief executive of the International Air Transport Association also reassured air passengers that flying is still the safest way to travel, in the wake of the Germanwings disaster.

Tony Tyler said: "Words cannot adequately express the sorrow that we all feel. Our thoughts are with the friends and families of all those involved in this unthinkable tragedy.

"People should be re-assured that flying remains the safest way to travel. Any accident is one too many.

"People can take further confidence in the well-established and constant determination of the aviation industry and governments to make this safe industry even safer."

People pick up debris from the Germanwings crashAP

The Germanwings flight 4U952 crash is the latest in a line of aviation tragedies

In the first comments since the Germanwings disaster on Tuesday, Mr Tyler called the crash a "terrible event".

Three Britons were onboard the plane along with two babies.

It is believed co-pilot Andreas Lubitz deliberately crashed the Airbus A320 with 144 passengers and six crew members into the French Alps.

A person looking at a tribute to MH370 victimsAP

Three air diasters followed on from the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 tragedy

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His ex-partner also told German newspaper Bild that .

He last year reportedly told the 26-year-old, known only as Mary W, that: "One day I will do something that will change the whole system, and then all will know my name and remember it."

Germanwings co-pilot Andreas LubitzAP

Co-pilot Andreas Lubitz is believed to have deliberately crashed the Germanwings plane

It was discovered that sick notes saying he was unable to work, including one for the day of the disaster, were discovered at Lubitz's flat torn up.

The Germanwings crash came weeks after the anniversary of the mysterious flight MH370 disaster.

On March 8 2014 a Boeing 777 with 239 people onboard vanished midway through a flight between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing.

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It is believed MH370 crashed into the southern Indian Ocean and all onboard are presumed dead.

Months later another .

A piece of wreckage from the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crashAP

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down months after the MH370 tragedy

The tragedy on July 17 last year came after the Ukraine crisis, while saw the country's former president ousted and Crimea annexed by Russia.

Moscow blamed Ukrainian soldiers while Kiev pointed the finger at pro-Russian supporters in the Donetsk region.

The third air disaster in 2014 happened at the tail end of the year when Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 crashed during bad weather.

Wreckage from the Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 crashAP

The Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 was 2014's third air disaster

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All 162 people onboard the plane were killed during the crash on December 28 2014.

Two days after the disaster debris from the plane and bodies of victims started to be found.

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