Study Shows Air Travel Was Less Safe in 2024

Air travel in 2024 remained safer than its five-year average, but dropped from 2023, with seven fatal accidents reported last year, according to the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) 2024 Annual Safety Report.

The report revealed that air travel flew 40.6 million flights last year, with seven fatal incidents. In 2023, there was only one fatal air accident. The five-year average is five. 244 people died in 2024, though fatality risk remained low, at 0.06. 

Last year, the most common accidents were tail strikes and runway excursions. The downing of two aircraft in conflict zones, one in Kazakhstan and the other in Sudan, reinforce the necessity of the Safer Skies initiative. 

North America’s air travel accidents actually improved from 2023 last year: there were twelve accidents, no fatalities, with the majority of accidents being tail strikes, runway damage and runway excursions. 

Yet there remains work to be done: according to IATA, only 57 percent of accident investigations from 2018-2023 were completed and published in accordance with the Chicago Convention, an international agreement that went into effect in 1947 that issued standards for safety and other important aviation measures. 

“Even with recent high profile aviation accidents, it is important to remember that accidents are extremely rare,” said IATA’s Director General, Willie Walsh. “There were 40.6 million flights in 2024 and seven fatal accidents. Moreover, the long-term story of aviation safety is one of continuous improvement.”

“A decade ago, the five-year average (2011-2015) was one accident for every 456,000 flights. Today, the five-year average (2020-2024) is one accident for every 810,000 flights,” continued Walsh. “That improvement is because we know that every fatality is one too many. We honor the memory of every life lost in an aviation accident with our deepest sympathies and ever greater resolve to make flying even safer. And for that, the accumulation of safety data, including the 2024 safety report, is our most powerful tool." 

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