ICAO’s latest report presenting a detailed analysis of global civil aviation safety performance for 2021 operations shows a sharp drop in the accident rate.

The report reveals a 9.8 per cent decrease in the global accident rate for last year versus 2020, dropping from 2.14 to 1.93 per million departures.

Meanwhile 2021 fatalities fell by 66 per cent against the number in 2020, though the number of accidents where fatalities occurred remained consistent at four.

‘Positive and encouraging’

“These outcomes are very positive and encouraging, and reconfirm that air transport is the safest mode of transport even during the current global circumstances,” commented ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar.

“Scheduled commercial flight departures in 2021 increased by almost 11 per cent, but even despite these millions of more flights amidst restart and recovery resource shortages and the many other operational challenges facing airline and airport operators today, air transport’s collective and longstanding commitment to the safety, security and health of passengers and crew remains unwavering.”

Pandemic response and recovery recommendations

“The positive safety performance being seen system-wide is recognised in the 2022 Safety Report as being due in part to the pandemic response and recovery recommendations set out by the ICAO Council’s Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART),” added ICAO Council President Salvatore Sciacchitano, “and to the Safety Stream commitments adopted by states at the ICAO High-level Conference on Covid-19 (HLCC) held last October.”
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