Despite occasional catastrophic crashes, airline accident rates have seen "massive improvements" in the last few decades, he said.

CNN: How do you know your airline is safe?

The airline's last accident was of a small commuter jet in 2003, he said.

CNN: Experts: Why many air crashes are survivable

From a safety perspective, the airline industry has enjoyed a remarkable accident-free run.

FORBES: Connect

The founder of easyJet, Stelios Haji-Ioannou, further fuelled the safety debate by expressing doubts about Ryanair's use of 20-year-old aircraft on some of its routes, pointing out that though they flattered profits in the short term, they put the future of the airline at risk in the event of an accident.

ECONOMIST: The price of flying on a low-cost airline

But lawsuits can drag on for years, which could cancel out the airline's efforts to make the flying public forget the accident.

CNN: After the Crash

He flew to Taipei and met grieving relatives and a media hungry for answers at least partially because an airline spokesman in Los Angeles had erroneously claimed in the hours just after the accident that there had been no fatalities.

CNN: After the Crash