IATA announces 2023 as safest year for global aviation by various measures

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has revealed that 2023 was the safest year for global aviation across multiple parameters, according to its Annual Safety Report.

The report highlighted significant improvements, with no hull losses or fatal accidents involving passenger jet aircraft. While there was a single fatal accident with a turboprop aircraft resulting in 72 fatalities, the overall accident rate was the lowest in over a decade. Key points include:

• The all-accident rate improved to 0.80 per million sectors, indicating one accident for every 1.26 million flights, a substantial improvement from 2022 and the lowest in over a decade.
• The fatality risk dropped to 0.03 in 2023, significantly better than 2022 and the five-year average (2019-2023). On average, a person would have to travel by air every day for 103,239 years to experience a fatal accident.
• IATA member airlines and those on the IOSA registry experienced no fatal accidents in 2023.
• Regional variations were noted, with Asia-Pacific recording a fatal turboprop hull loss in Nepal, resulting in 72 fatalities.
• The IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) revealed that registered carriers had a significantly better accident rate than non-IOSA airlines.

IATA emphasised the aviation industry’s commitment to safety but highlighted the need for a strong safety culture, timely incident reporting, and comprehensive accident reports from states to further enhance safety. IATA also highlighted its focus on a data-driven approach through its Global Aviation Data Management programme, helping identify and address safety issues proactively.