According to the IATA 2024 Annual Safety Report, Africa was the highest accident rate in the world. However, for the second year in a row, there have been zero deaths.
Africa recorded 10 accidents, resulting in a full-text fee of 10,59 people per million. This has increased from 8,36 in 2023 to an average of over 8,46 in five years.
The most common type of accident in Africa was runway excursions (when an aircraft exits the runway inappropriately), followed by landing gear-related incidents. In particular, 40% of accidents involving Africa-based operators occurred on turboprop aircraft.
Global safety insights
The global total tuition fee for 2024 was 1,3 per million flights (one accident per 880,000 flights), an average improvement of 1,25 over five years, but slightly higher than 1,09 in 2023.
In 2024, there were seven fatal accidents, with a total of 46 million flights. This is higher than the five years of a single fatal accident recorded in 2023 and five years of fatal accident.
There were 244 onboard deaths in 2024 compared to the 72 deaths reported in 2023 and an average of 144 deaths over the five years. The risk of death remained low at 0,06, below the five-year average (0,10), but twice the 0,03 reported in 2023.
Tail strikes and runway excursions were the most frequently reported accidents around the world.
IATA Director Willie Walsh said it's important to remember that even recent famous aviation accidents are extremely rare.
“The long-term story of aviation safety is one of continuous improvements. Ten years ago, the five-year average (2011-2015) was one accident per 456 000 flights. Today, the five-year average (2020-2024) is one accident per 810 000 flights. That improvement is because we know that all fatalities are too many,” Walsh said.
