Aviation records 37 million flights, safest year ever in 2023

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released its 2023 Annual Safety Report for global aviation, describing 2023 as the best-ever for safe air transport.

There were no hull losses or fatal accidents involving passenger jet aircraft in 2023. However, there was a single fatal accident involving a turboprop aircraft, resulting in 72 fatalities.

There were 37 million aircraft movements in 2023 (jet and turboprop), an increase of 17 per cent on the previous year. The report showed that the accident rate was 0.80 per million sectors in 2023 (one accident for every 1.26 million flights), an improvement from 1.30 in 2022 and the lowest rate in over a decade.

This rate outperformed the five-year (2019-2023) rolling average of 1.19 (an average one accident for every 880,293 flights). The fatality risk improved to 0.03 in 2023 from 0.11 in 2022 and 0.11 for the five years, 2019-2023. At this level of safety, 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 IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) registered airlines experienced no fatal accident in 2023. A single fatal accident occurred in 2023, on a turboprop aircraft, resulting in 72 fatalities. This is reduced from five fatal accidents in 2022 and an improvement on the five-year average (2019-2023) which was five.

IATA’s Director-General, Willie Walsh, said the 2023 safety performance continues to demonstrate that flying is the safest mode of transport. Walsh said aviation places its highest priority on safety and that shows in the 2023 performance.

He said: “Jet operations saw no hull losses or fatalities. 2023 also saw the lowest fatality risk and ‘all accident’ rate on record. A single fatal turboprop accident with 72 fatalities, however, reminds us that we can never take safety for granted.

“And two high-profile accidents in the first month of 2024 show that, even if flying is among the safest activities a person can do, there is always room to improve. This is what we have done throughout our history. And we will continue to make flying ever safer,” Walsh said.

In 2023, all accident rates improved compared to 2022 for all regions with the exceptions of North America and Asia Pacific. No regions experienced a jet hull loss in 2023.

Asia-Pacific recorded a fatal turboprop hull loss, a loss-of-control accident in Nepal in January 2023 with 72 fatalities. As a consequence, all regions except Asia-Pacific recorded a fatality risk of zero in 2023.

North America: The all-accident rate rose from 0.53 per million sectors in 2022 to 1.14 in 2023, but remained better than its five-year average for the region of 1.21. The largest proportion of accidents in 2023 was related to landing gear collapses.

Asia-Pacific: The all-accident rate increased from 0.56 per million sectors in 2022 to 0.78 in 2023 but was better than the 5-year average for the region of 1.06. The fatality risk rate per million sectors rose for Asia-Pacific operators from 0.00 in 2022 to 0.16, owing to the fatal accident in Nepal in January 2023, which was due to loss of control in flight.

Africa: The accident rate improved from 10.88 per million sectors in 2022 to 6.38 in 2023, better than the 5-year average of 7.11. In 2023, there were no fatalities.

African region has had no jet hull losses or fatal accidents since 2020. Additionally, 2023 marked the fifth occurrence of Africa reporting zero fatal turboprop accidents, with the first instance recorded in 2015.

Under the Focus Africa initiative, IATA introduced CASIP to enhance aviation safety in Africa. CASIP efforts are continuing to partner with states to increase the implementation of ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs).

The Global Aviation Safety Plan (GASP) as well as AFI Regional Aviation Safety Plan for Effective Implementation (EI) of ICAO ISARPs have increased the minimum SARPs implementation threshold to 75 per cent or greater (from 60 per cent). Only 12 of Africa’s 54 states meet this new threshold indicating the need for significant improvements.

Middle East and North Africa: The accident rate improved from 1.30 accidents per million sectors in 2022 to 1.16 in 2023. It remained slightly higher than the 5-year average of 0.96. While no accidents were related to Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) interference, it has emerged as a critical area of concern in the region.