This title was first published in 2001. There have been significant advances in the engineering design and production standards of the hardware and electronics in commercial aircraft. It is now uncommon for the principal (or sole) cause of an aircraft accident to be a component failure. Human error is now implicated in up to 80 per cent of all civil and military aviation accidents. The human being is now arguably the least reliable component left in the system. This basic premise forms the basis for this international journal. The journal focuses specifically on the human element in the aerospace system and its role in either causing accidents or incidents, or in promoting safety. The journal solicits contributions from both academic researchers and practitioners from industry. Human factors and safety are applied sciences and this is reflected in the tone and composition of the papers in the journal.