Singapore, Indonesia and Japan report a surge in flights despite aviation accidents, despite boosting the Asian tourism sector

Wednesday, March 19th, 2025

Air travel remains strong in 2025 despite the high-profile accidents as passengers continue to fly and show resilience in the face of safety concerns.

Released in February, IATA Annual Safety Report 2024 provides a powerful message. AviationSafety has reached unprecedented levels, with accident rates plunging over the past 20 years.

In 2024, the accident rate was 1.13 flights per 1.13 flights, an incredible improvement from 3.72 per million in 2005. However, despite this long-term decline, the 46 accidents recorded in 2024 increased by 9% from 2023, making it the safest year in commercial aviation history.

The catastrophic incident that shook in 2024

January 2025 – Catastrophe at Haneda Airport: Japan Airbus A350-900 collided with a Japanese Coast Guard aircraft. Five Coast Guard crews were killed while all passengers on the A350 were running away.

January 2025 – Alaska Airlines Nightmare: Boeing 737-9 Max suffered fuselage separation in the air after taking off from Portland. Miraculously, all 177 passengers survived the emergency landing.

May 2024 – Tragic Strike Singapore Airlines: Boeing 777-300 hit extreme turbulence and forced an emergency landing in Bangkok. One passenger lost his life.

July 2024 – Nepal Horror: Saurya Airlines CRJ-200 crashes during takeoff, killing 18 people on board.

But despite these tragic incidents, commercial aviation remains one of the safest industries in the world. In 2024, the airline managed to transport 5 billion passengers on more than 40 million flights. This is proof of strict safety measures and advanced technology.

Air travel was safer than ever before

The aviation industry has achieved a historic safety milestone. Ten years ago, between 2011 and 2015, the average five years was one accident per 456,000 flights. Today, that number has skyrocketed to one accident per 810,000 flights. This is a noticeable improvement.

Aviation Leaders will issue bold statements at Global Summit

At Singapore's Aviation Festival Asia, executives from the world's top airlines have reaffirmed their uncompromising commitment to safety.

WTTC CEO Julia Simpson has declared that Aviation's zero-tolerance approach requires airlines to meet the highest safety standards or to halt operations.

Richard Nuttall, CEO of Srilankan Airlines, stressed that airlines cannot and cannot fly without regulatory approval.

The rising demand for passengers proves trust in air travel

Despite sensational media coverage of aviation accidents, air travel confidence is the highest ever.

Passenger demand in January 2025 skyrocketed 10% year-on-year, with a record load rate of 82.1%.

International demand exploded by 12.4%, but domestic flights increased by 6.1%.

Willie Walsh of Iata emphasized that Asia-Pacific airlines are driving this boom, indicating a strong revival of global aviation.

Elite Aviation in 2025: The World's Safeest Career

Curated by airline ratings, the 2025 rankings of the world's safest airlines recognize the aviation giants leading in safety.

Full Service Airlines – Best Best

Air New Zealandqantascasay PacificaNa, Eva Air, Korean Airlines, Japan Airlines (JAL), Vietnam Airlines

Low Cost Aviation – Setting new safety standards

Hong Kong Express, Jetstar Group, Airasia, Vietjet Air, Indigo, Cebu Pacific, and Zipair

Airlines need to sell safety, not luxury

Airlines spend billions of dollars on promoting luxury seats and premium services, but industry leaders argue that safety should be the number one selling point.

Natas president Steven Ler urged airlines to use their safety records to gain passenger trust.

He proposed to highlight young fleets, cutting-edge aircraft and strict safety measures.

For example, Gulfair, a Middle Eastern gold medal winner, remains under the radar of many travelers despite its star safety records. Meanwhile, Garuda Indonesia, once plagued by safety concerns, continues to gain passenger loyalty through relentless improvements.

Final Verdict: Aviation safety is unstoppable

Air travel is not safe. It's safer than ever.

Historic safety records, stronger regulations and cutting-edge technology have proven the aviation industry's resilience. Even if challenges arise, the data speaks for itself.