FRANKFURT—The International Air Transport Association (IATA) recently came up with some encouraging figures. It was never safer to fly than it was in 2011. There were 0.77 hull losses per one million departures in 2005; in 2011 that figures improved significantly to 0.37. And there were regions like Europe or North Asia that did not have any hull losses at all last year.

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Air Canada posted higher maintenance costs recently. What are the reasons? Butterfield: Costs are going up based on cyclical costs and a couple of contracts that were structured in a manner where you paid more on the back half than you did on the front half. So, it is true, but we have some mitigating plans that we are going to employ over the next year that can change that as we go forward.

The integration of the United and Continental maintenance organizations proceeds cautiously.

An AOG due to a faulty engine can be the worst and most expensive nightmare maintenance faces. A grounded aircraft can cost an airline tens of thousands of dollars per day in lost revenue. MROs and leasing firms will scramble to provide help, but existing relationships count strongly in how fast assistance arrives.

Jon Oberdick, US Airways managing director technical services, A4A EMMC chairman

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Although passengers often worry about contracting illnesses from recirculated air on aircraft cabins, most aircraft are actually fitted with special filters that allow them to breathe air that is very clean. Our hot water tanks at home have HEPA filters, but those rated for aerospace are microbially tested at higher efficiencies and do a better job of removing small fibers and dust particles from the aircraft cabin and eliminating viruses and bacteria.