A fluency in English pronunciation is important in an industry that relies on effective teamwork, and a forward thinking airline will prioritize this when building their training program. However, the effective communication of instructions, reassurance and in some cases de-escalation, can be crucial components in the retention of customers, and the long-term success of a carrier. Such occurrences can cause the foundations of employee-customer relationships to buckle. The July 4th period this year saw over 2,000 flights cancelled, and a further 25,000 delayed. The National Transportation Safety Board determined one of the causes of the crash to be the flight crew’s nonstandard communication and coordination regarding the use of autothrottle and autopilot systems. A high level of spoken English allows air traffic controllers to give concise information to pilots, such as altitude and heading instructions, and for cabin crews to relay safety procedures to passengers effectively.Įspecially in critical phases of flight such as take-off and landing, communication can be the decisive factor between life and death, as demonstrated in the 2013 crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 which crashed into a seawall while landing at San Francisco airport. Since 1951, English has been the official language of the skies, with aviation employees needing to attain an ICAO proficiency level in order to qualify for their respective jobs. Airline budgets were slashed and staff furloughed, but as lockdowns subside, and air traffic returns to pre-COVID levels, English language training should be on the wish list of airlines seeking to successfully recruit and retain talent, and ensure the safety and satisfaction of their customer base. However, the pandemic dealt a body blow to the aviation industry, halting of the flow of goods and people worldwide, and bringing aviation’s 3.2 percent annual growth down to a decline of 46.7 percent.
In that timespan, technological advancement has made flying safer than ever, but accidents remain a reality, with 80 percent of all aviation incidents caused by human error, such as communication breakdown.Įnsuring the safety of passengers and flight crews is the number one priority of airlines, ground staff and air traffic controllers alike. When the two passengers of the first commercial flight departed from Tampa, Florida, in 1914, few would have predicted the global aviation industry to fly 6 million people a day just over a century later.
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