2017 to be safest year in aviation history, at the moment of writing (31dec)

The year 2017 turned out to be the safest year ever for commercial aviation, Aviation Safety Network data show.

Over the year 2017 the Aviation Safety Network recorded a total of 9 fatal airliner accidents, resulting in 32 occupant fatalities and 35 persons on the ground.

This makes 2017 the safest year ever, both by the number of fatal accidents as well as in terms of fatalities. In 2016 ASN recorded 16 accidents and 303 lives lost.

Five accidents involved cargo flights, four were passenger flights. Given the expected worldwide air traffic of about 36,800,000 flights, the accident rate is one fatal passenger flight accident per 9,200,000 flights.

The low number of accidents comes as no surprise, according to ASN President Harro Ranter:

“Since 1997 the average number of airliner accidents has shown a steady and persistent decline, for a great deal thanks to the continuing safety-driven efforts by international aviation organisations such as ICAO, IATA, Flight Safety Foundation and the aviation industry.”

At the moment of writing (Dec. 31), aviation has a record period of 398 days with no passenger jet airliner accidents. Additionally, a record period of 791 days has passed since the previous civil aircraft accident claiming over 100 lives.

One out of 9 accident airplanes was operated by an airline on the E.U. “blacklist”.