Of the 40.4m flights last year, there were a total of 65 accidents, of which 10 were fatal. The five-year average from 2011-2015 equated to fewer flights overall (36m), yet more accidents were recorded, with an average of 81.2 accidents per year. The number of fatal accidents has also decreased from a five-year average of 13.4 to just ten, which translates to a decrease in the percentage of overall accidents that resulted in fatalities from a 16.5% average to 15.4% in 2016.
Whilst there was a decrease in overall number of fatalities in 2016, at 268 compared to the five-year average of 371, there was actually a significant increase from the 2015 data, which recorded only 136 fatalities for the year.
The 2016 major jet accident rate (measured in hull losses per 1 million flights) was 0.39, which was the equivalent of one major accident for every 2.56m flights. This was also not as good as the rate of 0.32 achieved in 2015 and was also above the five-year rate (2011-2015) of 0.36. Similarly, the 2016 jet hull loss rate for IATA member airlines was 0.35 (one accident for every 2.86m flights), which outperformed the global hull loss rate but was an increase from the 0.22 accidents per million flights achieved in 2015.
“Last year some 3.8bn travellers flew safely on 40.4m flights,” commented Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO. “The number of total accidents, fatal accidents and fatalities all declined versus the five-year average, showing that aviation continues to become safer. We did take a step back on some key parameters from the exceptional performance of 2015; however, flying is still the safest form of long distance travel. And safety remains the top priority of all involved in aviation. The goal is for every flight to depart and arrive without incident. And every accident redoubles our efforts to achieve that,” de Juniac concluded.
