The International Air Transport Association (IATA) issued the 2023 Safety Report for the global aviation sector, which showed the sector’s success in making progress in the field of safety, as several metrics reported achieving the best results ever.
There were no airframe losses or fatal accidents involving passenger jet aircraft in 2023. There was only one fatal accident involving a turboprop aircraft, resulting in 72 deaths. Last year, 37 million flights (jet and turboprop aircraft) were recorded, an increase of 17% over the previous year.
The report highlights the following points: The rate of all accidents reached 0.80 per million flights in 2023 (one for every 1.26 million flights), an improvement compared to the rate recorded in 2022 of 1.30, and the lowest rate in more than a decade. This rate also exceeded the five-year moving average (2019-2023) of 1.19 (an average of one accident per 880,293 flights).
The risk of death decreased to 0.03 in 2023, compared to 0.11 in 2022 and 0.11 in the five years from 2019 to 2023. At this level of safety, and on average, one person could travel daily for 103,239 years before being in a fatal accident.
Airlines that are members of the International Air Transport Association and participating in its Operational Safety Audit Program had no fatal accidents in 2023. There was one fatal accident involving a turboprop aircraft in 2023, resulting in 72 deaths, compared with five such accidents in 2022, and the year average The five from 2019 to 2023, which also amounted to five incidents.
Willie Walsh, Director General of IATA, said: “Safety performance during 2023 confirms that aviation is the safest means of travel, as the aviation sector places safety at the top of its list of priorities. The jets did not suffer any hull loss or fatal accidents. The sector also recorded the lowest ever rate of death risk and total accidents. The two accidents that occurred in the first month of 2024 confirm that although aviation is one of the safest activities, there are always areas in which the sector can improve.
Regional performance
The overall accident rate for 2023 improved compared to 2022 for all regions except North America and Asia-Pacific, as no region witnessed accidents resulting in the loss of jet airframes. The Asia-Pacific region, specifically Nepal, witnessed a fatal crash of a turboprop aircraft resulting from loss of control. By plane in January 2023.
In the Middle East and North Africa region: The overall accident rate showed improvement, decreasing from 1.30 accidents per million trips in 2022 to 1.16 in 2023, also recording a level better than the five-year average of 0.96. Although there have been no incidents resulting from interference with the Global Navigation Satellite System, it has emerged as a major source of concern in the region.
Operational safety
The IATA Operational Safety Audit Program provides a global standard for operational safety for airlines, with many bodies adopting it in their regulatory safety programmes.
The program currently includes 425 airlines; 100 of them are not members of IATA. The overall accident rate for airlines registered with the Operational Safety Audit Program in 2023 achieved a 56% better result than for airlines not registered (0.69 vs. 1.08). Airlines registered in the Operational Safety Audit Program recorded an average accident rate during the years 2019-2029 of 0.84 per million flights, achieving a level approximately three times better than the average of 2.24 for non-registered airlines. The 19 accidents involving airlines registered in the program did not result in damage to airframes or deaths.
Walsh added: “Airlines registered in the Operational Safety Audit Program had no airframe losses or fatal accidents during 2023. Since 2005, the overall accident rate of airlines registered in the program has achieved a result that is approximately three times better than that of non-registered airlines.” in it”.