In the world of tourism and travel, statistics are essential for making informed decisions. The year 2023 was no exception to this rule, particularly in the field of air safety. According to the latest report from the International Air Transport Association (IATA)2023 was the safest year in the history of commercial aviation.
Accident rates down despite rising traffic volumes
The year 2023 saw significant drop in the number of accidents from a rate of 0.11 accidents per million flights in 2022 to just 0.03 in 2023. This spectacular improvement has been achieved despite a substantial increase in air trafficwith 37 million aircraft movements in 2023, representing an increase of 17% over the previous year.
- 38 accidents were recorded on an annual average basis between 2019 and 2023, including five fatal accidents involving 143 victims.
- The accident rate was 0.8 per million flights compared with 1.3 in 2022 and an average of 1.19 over the past five years.
Air transport has never been as safe as it will be in 2023, with the lowest accident rate per million flight hours on record: the probability of being involved in a fatal air accident is around 1 chance in 500,000 flights.
Airline safety and technological advances
IATA member airlines and those registered with the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) have not experienced any major incidents. no fatal accidents between 2019 and 2023. Only one fatal accident involving a turboprop aircraft occurred during this period, resulting in 72 fatalities.
These figures testify to the high level of safety offered by IATA member airlines as well as the technological advances made in aviation safety in recent years. Innovations such as anti-collision systems, continuous performance monitoring and predictive maintenance make a major contribution to making flights ever safer.
Why are accidents inevitable?
Despite these significant improvements, it is important to remember that air safety should never be taken for granted. Although flying is one of the safest forms of transport, there is always room for improvement.
The two high-profile accidents in the USA in the first month of 2024 show that there is still work to be done to make flying even safer.
Air travel: the safest mode of transport
The figures speak for themselves: air transport recorded lower mortality than other modes of transportThese include cars, trains and even walking. With an estimated risk of fatal accident of 0.03 per million flights in 2023, air travel remains the safest means of travel. All the more reason to go far away?
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