Global aviation had fewer fatal accidents in 2015: IATA
SINGAPORE - The number of air accidents and resulting fatalities dropped in 2015 from the previous year, and was well below the five-year average, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said today, making 2015 "an extraordinarily safe year".
Some 68 accidents occurred last year, compared with 77 in 2014 and an annual average of 90 over the last five years, according to IATA's latest annual report on aviation safety. Of 2015's accidents, four were fatal, versus 12 a year earlier.
“2015 was another year of contrasts when it comes to aviation’s safety performance. In terms of the number of fatal accidents, it was an extraordinarily safe year. And the long-term trend data show us that flying is getting even safer. Yet we were all shocked and horrified by two deliberate acts--the destruction of Germanwings 9525 and Metrojet 9268. While there are no easy solutions to the mental health and security issues that were exposed in these tragedies, aviation continues to work to minimise the risk that such events will happen again,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General and CEO, said in a statement released on the eve of this week's Singapore Airshow, Asia's biggest aviation trade fair
The accidents covered by the report killed 136 people, down from 641 in 2014 and a five-year average of 504, according to IATA, which represents some 260 airlines or 83 percent of the world's total air traffic.
If the losses of aircraft in incidents involving planes operated by German low-cost carrier Germanwings, a unit of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, and Russia's Metrojet last year are included, the total number of deaths rose to 510, according to IATA.
But the Germanwings and Metrojet incidents were excluded from IATA's accident statistics, as they were classified as deliberate acts of unlawful interference. A pilot of the Germanwings aircraft deliberately crashed that plane in the French Alps, while the Metrojet flight was suspected to have been brought down over the Sinai peninsula by a bomb smuggled on board.
IATA said the 2015 global jet accident rate, measured in hull losses per one million flights, was 0.32, compared with 0.27 in 2014 and 0.46 in the previous five years.
2015 Safety by the numbers
More than 3.5 billion people flew safely on 37.6 million flights (31.4 million by jet, 6.2 million by turboprop)
136 fatalities compared to 641 fatalities in 2014 and the five-year average of 504. Including those who lost their lives in Germanwings 9525 and Metrojet 9268, the 2015 figure was 510.
68 accidents (all aircraft types), down from 77 in 2014 and the five-year average of 90 per year
Four fatal accidents (all aircraft types) versus 12 in 2014 and the five-year average of 17.6
6 per cent of all accidents were fatal, below the five-year average of 19.6 per cent
10 hull loss accidents involving jets compared to 8 in 2014 and the five-year average of 13 per year
Zero jet hull loss accidents involving passenger fatalities, down from three in 2014, and the five-year average of 6.4 per year.
Although there were no passenger fatalities on jet transports there were two accidents with jet aircraft which resulted in loss of life:
