The paradox of 2024 aviation safety: Fewer accidents, more lives lost

According to the report, the all-accident rate in 2024 was 1.13 per million flights (one accident per 880,000 flights) among 40.6 million flights in total, improving on the five-year average of 1.25 but slightly higher than 2023’s 1.09.

A total of 46 accidents were recorded in 2024, with seven of them resulting in fatalities. The number of incidents on passenger aircraft was 33, while cargo operations saw 13. This resulted in 244 onboard fatalities and seven additional deaths. Nevertheless, the fatality risk remained comparatively low at 0.06, below the five-year average of 0.10. This indicates that an individual would need to fly daily for 15,871 years to experience a fatal accident, despite the increase.

Jet aircraft were involved in 35 accidents, while turboprops accounted for 11, with landing identified as the most dangerous phase of flight, responsible for 21 accidents, followed by approach and takeoff.

Regional data shows that North America has increased to 1.20 per million sectors, with runway excursions and tail strikes remaining the most prevalent incidents. In the Asia-Pacific region, the accident rate increased to 1.04 per million sectors, despite the fact that the fatality risk remained unchanged. Africa, on the other hand, recorded the greatest accident rate at 10.59 per million sectors.

The Middle East and North Africa experienced a slight increase in accident rates, while Europe's remained consistent at 1.02 per million sectors. Tail strikes were the most prevalent incident type in Latin America and the Caribbean, where both accident and fatality risk rates increased. North Asia maintained its historically low accident and fatality rates, with only one accident being recorded.

In addition to statistical trends, the industry's difficulties were illustrated by individual events. The year started with a tragic runway collision on January 2, when a Coast Guard aircraft collided with a Japan Airlines Airbus A350-900, resulting in five fatalities. On January 10, the following month, a United Airlines Boeing 737-900 was struck by a tail during landing, resulting in substantial damage but no injuries.

Two significant accidents occurred by the end of the year: 38 individuals were killed in the accident of an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190-100 IGW2 near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on December 25. A Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 crashed at Muan International Airport four days later, causing an explosion that resulted in the deaths of 179 of the 181 passengers and crew.

The tragic trend continued with numerous accidents that have been documented in the early months of 2025. On January 9, a small aircraft crashed in the Brazilian southeastern state of Sao Paulo, leaving one dead and seven injured. On January 30, 67 people lost their lives after a midair collision occurred near Washington, D.C., with an American Airlines aircraft crashing into the Potomac River. A Learjet 55 collided in Philadelphia on February 1, resulting in six confirmed fatalities and the ignition of homes. Not a week later, another small plane crashed in Sao Paulo, killing at least two people and injuring two others. More recently, a Delta Airlines aircraft crashed in Toronto, resulting in the injuries of at least 21 passengers.

The report emphasizes the continuous advancements in aviation safety, despite the presence of recent incidents, as evidenced by the long-term data. Since 2005, 1,468 accidents have been documented (262 of them being fatal collisions), 8,076 onboard fatalities, and 273 additional deaths.

As Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, explained, “Even with recent high-profile aviation accidents, it is important to remember that accidents are extremely rare. There were 40.6 million flights in 2024 and seven fatal accidents. Moreover, the long-term story of aviation safety is one of continuous improvement. A decade ago, the five-year average (2011-2015) was one accident for every 456,000 flights. Today, the five-year average (2020-2024) is one accident for every 810,000 flights. That improvement is because we know that every fatality is one too many. We honor the memory of every life lost in an aviation accident with our deepest sympathies and ever greater resolve to make flying even safer. And for that, the accumulation of safety data, including the 2024 safety report, is our most powerful tool.”

Concluding the analysis, IATA highlights a key challenge: only 57% of accidents from 2018 to 2023 had a published investigation report, limiting access to crucial safety insights.

“Accident investigation is a vital tool for improving global aviation safety. To be effective, the reports of accident investigations must be complete, accessible, and timely. Annex 13 of the Chicago Convention is clear that this is a state’s obligation. Burying accident reports for political considerations is completely unacceptable. And if capacity is the blocker, then we need a coordinated global effort to provide technical support to countries with limited accident investigation expertise,” said Walsh.

Earlier, Kazinform correspondent reported on the preliminary findings of the AZAL crash.