IATA Says Airline Commercial Accidents Increased Between 2017 and 2018

Newly released safety data from the International Air Transport Association shows that there was an increase in airline accidents in 2018 compared to the previous year.

The all accident rate (measured in accidents per one million flights) was 1.35 last year, which IATA says was the equivalent of one accident for every 740,000 flights. While this was an improvement over the all accident rate of 1.79 for the previous five-year period of 2013 through 2017, it represents a decline in safety when compared to 2017’s record performance of 1.11.

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“Last year some 4.3 billion passengers flew safely on 46.1 million flights. 2018 was not the extraordinary year that 2017 was. However, flying is safe, and the data tell us that it is getting safer,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s director general and CEO.

The 2018 rate for major jet accidents (measured in jet hull losses per one million flights) was 0.19, the equivalent of one major accident for every 5.4 million flights, according to IATA.

This was an improvement over the rate for the previous five-year period (2013-2017) of 0.29 but not as good as the rate of 0.12 in 2017.

There were 11 fatal accidents with 523 fatalities among passengers and crew. This compares with an average of 8.8 fatal accidents and approximately 234 fatalities per year in the previous five-year period.

In 2017, the industry experienced six fatal accidents with 19 fatalities, a record low, IATA noted. One accident in 2017 also resulted in the deaths of 35 persons on the ground.

“Flying continues to be the safest form of long-distance travel the world has ever known. Based on the data, on average, a passenger could take a flight every day for 241 years before experiencing an accident with one fatality on board. We remain committed to the goal of having every flight takeoff and land safely,” said de Juniac.

The new report also notes that six regions around the world showed improvement or stayed the same in 2018 compared to the previous five years in terms of the jet hull loss rate. Those regions were Africa; Asia-Pacific; Europe; the Middle East and North Africa; and finally North America.

“For a third consecutive year, airlines in Sub-Saharan Africa experienced zero jet hull losses and zero fatalities in jet operations,” states the report. “The all accident rate was 2.71, a significant improvement over the rate of 6.80 for the previous five years. Africa was the only region to see a decline in the all-accident rate compared to 2017.”

IATA represents some 290 airlines comprising 82 percent of global air traffic.

The organization's director general made headlines last week giving a speech at the International Aviation Club in Washington D.C. during which he urged the U.S. government to work together with the aviation industry to ensure that the industry is prepared to accommodate a projected 62 percent rise in demand.