The International Air Transport Association has released its forecast for 2016, which forecasts that low oil prices and growing demand for air travel will result in increased airline profits in 2016. The recent safety concerns regarding terror related attacks in Europe have slowed traffic in the region; however, IATA expects this decrease in demand to only last between six and nine months.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has again raised concerns regarding the operations and pilot experience at Lion Air (Indonesia). The airline has experienced sizable growth over the past several years. As a result, EASA has cited concerns over the airline’s ability to maintain sufficient operational and training standards, given the scale of this growth. Furthermore, EASA has reportedly noted that the airline’s qualification requirements for new pilots are not as stringent when compared with its Indonesian counterparts. As a result of these concerns, Lion Air remains listed on the EU list of banned carriers.

On the 31st of October 2015, a MetroJet Airbus A321 was operating a charter flight from Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport (Egypt) to Pulkvo Airport (Russia) and was en route over Northern Sinai (Egypt) when the aircraft was lost from radar. A search was launched for the aircraft and the wreckage was found a short time later. The aircraft was completely destroyed, with the debris field reportedly extending over a 13km area, indicating that the aircraft broke up in flight. All 224 occupants perished in the accident. An investigation into the accident has been launched. Initial speculative reports indicate that the aircraft may have been destroyed by a bomb on board the aircraft. However, it is important to note that these reports remain speculative until a thorough accident investigation can be carried out. As a result, until the preliminary and final reports have been released, the causal factors contributing to the accident may not be wholly identified.