Iata has released its 2023 Annual Safety Report for global aviation, with several parameters showing ‘best-ever’ results last year. 

“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% on the previous year,” Iata said in a press release.

Report highlights include:

• The all 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 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. 

"2023 safety performance continues to demonstrate that flying is the safest mode of transport. Aviation places its highest priority on safety and that shows in the 2023 performance. Jet operations saw no hull losses or fatalities. 2023 also saw the lowest fatality risk and ‘all accident’ rate on record,” said Willie Walsh, Iata’s Director General.  

“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.”  

Africa

In Africa, the all accident rate improved from 10.88 per million sectors in 2022 to 6.38 in 2023, better than the five-year average of 7.11.

In 2023, there were no fatalities. The region has had no jet hull losses or fatal accidents since 2020, according to Iata.

Additionally, 2023 marked the fifth occurrence of Africa reporting zero fatal turboprop accidents, with the first instance recorded in 2015.

Under its Focus Africa initiative, to enhance aviation safety in Africa, Iata also introduced the Collaborative Aviation Safety Improvement Programme last year.