Air travel remains brisk despite prominent accident headlines

• Long-term trend of air accidents has declined over 2005 to 2024
• Aviation leaders emphasise airlines’ safety culture and “zero tolerance” for safety breaches
• 2024 accidents attracted widespread media attention, but the travelling public has continued to choose to fly

The IATA Annual Safety Report – 2024, released at the end of February, has emphasised a long-term significant reduction in accident rates amid current public concerns about the safety of air travel.

The report noted 1.13 accidents per million sectors in 2024 compared to 3.72 accidents per million sectors in 2005.

However, the 46 accidents in 2024 based on IATA’s classification criteria represent a nine per cent increase compared to 2023, the safest year on record for commercial airline travel.

Among accidents listed in the IATA Annual Safety Report – 2024 are:

January 2025: A Japan Airlines…