I think that
Captain Custard has the nub of the issue here...
For those who regularly practise them, and who have robust, rigidly enforced SOPs, NPAs (including circling approaches) are just another arrow in the bag for conduct of safe, economical IFR operations.
Is circling, or night circling, checked in sim rides?
amos2... The concept of "affordable safety" has existed in Oz for a real long time, so it's far from "prattle" to mention it. In fact, it's a salient issue. There are a number of realities associated with it as well, such as the cost of ILS equipment, the cost of earthworks for the ILS, maybe even relocating taxyways, etc. And for what... a couple of times a year? If that?
I'm not saying that "affordable safety" is right or even fair, but it IS the way things are. Where I am, circling approaches are more usual than any other type of approach. By night and day. Often in "black hole" conditions. But, like Captain Custard says, regular practice and appropriate, properly enforced SOPs helps to keep the operation safe. I'd add a few things to that list, like a measure of animal cunning and a sense of self-preservation.
I feel sure that, if circling approaches constituted an unacceptable safety risk, insurance companies would be the first one to scream for change. That is the most likely scenario for ICAO and regulators to abandon circling approaches ... and I really don't see that happening.