The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released its 2024 annual safety report, highlighting the progress and challenges of aviation safety. The industry continues to show strong overall safety performance, but certain metrics indicate areas of caution.
Important findings
Total Tuition Fees: In 2024, the total worldwide tuition fee was 1.13 flights per 1.13 flights, equivalent to one accident per 880,000 flights. This highlights an average improvement of 1.25 over the five years, but represents a slight increase from 1.09 recorded in 2023. Fatal Accidents: Seven fatal accidents in 2024 resulted in 244 onboard lethalities. This shows a single fatal accident and an increase from the 72 fatalities reported in 2023. Despite this increase, the fatal risk remains below the five-year average of 0.10 at 0.06. Regional variation: Safety performance differed from region to region. Africa recorded the highest accident rate at 10.59 per million sectors, while North America has maintained a strong safety record with zero fatal risks since 2020.
“It's important to remember that even in recent famous aviation accidents, accidents are extremely rare,” stressed the importance of continuous improvements in aviation safety.
He further emphasized the industry's commitment to reducing deaths, comparing it to 10 years ago, the average for five years was one accident per 456,000 flights, and one accident per 810,000 flights today.
In 2024 there were 40.6 million flights and seven fatal accidents. Furthermore, the long-term talk of aviation safety is one of the continuous improvements. That improvement is because we know that all the fatalities are too many. We respect all the memories of life lost in an aviation accident, and have the deepest sympathy for us and deeper determination to fly safer. To that end, the accumulation of safety data, including the 2024 safety report, is our most powerful tool.
Willy Walsh, director general of IATA.
New concerns for 2024
Dispute Zone: The collapse of aircraft in conflict zones, such as the Kazakhstan and Sudan incidents, highlights the important need for initiatives such as safer skies to increase safety in high-risk airspaces. GNSS Interference: A significant increase in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) interference incidents has been noted, with interference rates increasing by 175% and GPS spoofing incidents increasing by 500% between 2023 and 2024.
“Military aircraft should not be the target (intentional or accidental) of military operations. Governments must step up, strengthen intelligence sharing and establish clearer global protocols to prevent such tragedy and protect civil aviation,” Walsh said.
2024 Aviation Industry Safety Performance Indicators
Local safety performance in 2024
Africa had the highest accident rates, while North America, CIS, and North Asia recorded no fatality. Tail strikes and runway excursions were the most common accident types in all regions. The risk of GNSS interference and conflict zones emerged as major safety concerns. Iata's local safety initiatives, such as Focus Africa and Safer Skies, remain important in addressing key safety challenges.
North America
Accident rate: The rate improved from 1.53 sectors per 1.53 sector in 2023 to 1.20 in 2024, exceeding the five-year average of 1.26. Risk of lethality: 0.00 (still at zero since 2020). Most common accidents: tail strikes, runway damage, runway excursions. New concerns: Increased space activity, more rocket launches present challenges for air traffic management.
Asia Pacific
Accident rate: A slight increase from 0.92 in 2023 to 1.04 in 2024, but below the five-year average of 1.10. Lethal risk: 0.15 (unchanged since 2023). Most common accidents: tail strikes, runway damage, turbulence-related incidents.
Africa
Accident rate: 10.59 per sector, up from 8.36 in 2023, exceeding the five-year average of 8.46 (the highest accident rate in the world). Risk of lethality: 0.00 (lasted zero for the second year in a row). Most common accidents: runway excursions and landing gear-related incidents. Aircraft type concerns: 40% of accidents involved turboprop aircraft. Safety Initiative: IATA's Focus Africa and Collaborative Aviation Safety Improvement Program (CASIP) continues to strive to improve safety.
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Accident Rate: A slightly improved from 1.12 sectors per 1.12 sector in 2023 to 1.08 in 2024, delivering better performance than a five-year average of 1.09. Risk of lethality: 0.00 (still at zero since 2019). New concerns: Increased GNSS interference, poses navigation risks.
Independent States (CIS)
Accident rate: significantly better than 0.00 in 2024 (improved from 1.05 in 2023), an average of 2.49 in 5 years. Risk of lethality: 0.00 (still at zero since 2022). Key concerns: Security risks due to GNSS interference and local conflicts.
*Note: The crash crash of Azerbaijan Airlines in December 2024 was excluded from the accident classification as it was caused by a conflict zone incident.
Europe
Accident rate: A slight increase from 0.95 sectors per million in 2023 to 1.02 in 2024, a five-year average of 1.02. Lethal risk: 0.03, an increase from 0.00 in 2023. Most common accidents: tail strikes and runway excursions.
North Asia
Accident Rate: 0.13/1 million sectors, slightly up from 0.00 in 2023, but outperforms the 5-year average of 0.16. Risk of lethality: 0.00 (still at zero since 2022). Most common accidents: tail strike. Accident count: Only one accident was recorded in the area in 2024.
Latin America and the Caribbean
Accident Rate: Increased from 0.73 sectors per million in 2023 to 1.77 in 2024, which is better than the five-year average of 2.00. Fatal risk: Increased from 0.00 in 2023 to 0.35 in 2024. Most common accidents: tail strike.
Jet loss rate by region (per million flights)
Turboprop loss rate by region (per million flights)
Fatal risk rates by region (per million flights)
In summary, while the aviation industry has been significantly more safety in the past decade, the 2024 report shows areas where continuous attention is needed, particularly regarding conflict zones and GNSS interference. A commitment to continuous improvement remains a central focus for the industry.
