AviationRecord lows as accident rate shows one fatal passenger flight accident per 7,360,000 flights

2017: Safest year in aviation history

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2017 was a record year for aviation safety with 10 fatal airliner accidents and 44 fatalities.
2017 was a record year for aviation safety with 10 fatal airliner accidents and 44 fatalities. Photo Credit: ipopba/Getty Images

Last year, five accidents involved cargo flights while five were passenger flights. This is out of the estimated worldwide air traffic of about 36,800,000 flights, making the accident rate one fatal passenger flight accident per 7,360,000 flights.

Commercial air travel worldwide notched an all-time high for safety last year. According to Aviation Safety Network (ASN) data, a total of 10 fatal airliner accidents, which resulted in 44 fatalities – the lowest number of fatal accidents and fatalities recorded in aviation history. 

In 2016, ASN recorded 16 accidents and 303 fatalities on passenger and cargo flights.

This figure follows “a steady and persistent decline” over the past 20 years with the “continuing safety-driven efforts by international aviation organisations such as ICAO, IATA, Flight Safety Foundation and the aviation industry,” said ASN president Harro Ranter. 

Last year, five accidents involved cargo flights while five were passenger flights. This is out of the estimated worldwide air traffic of about 36,800,000 flights, making the accident rate one fatal passenger flight accident per 7,360,000 flights.

One out of 10 accident airplanes was operated by an airline on the EU ‘blacklist’.

Passenger aviation also had a record period of 398 days with no passenger jet airliner accidents since the last fatal accident on November 28, 2016 involving an Avro RJ85 LaMia near Medellin in Colombia. 

A record streak of 792 days has passed since the previous civil aircraft accident claiming over 100 lives.

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