Equivalent To One Accident For Every 1.6 Million Commercial
Flights
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced
the aviation safety performance for 2010 showing that the year's
accident rate for Western-built jet aircraft as the lowest in
aviation history.
The 2010 global accident rate (measured in hull losses per
million flights of Western-built jet aircraft) was 0.61. That is
equal to one accident for every 1.6 million flights. This is a
significant improvement of the 0.71 rate recorded in 2009 (one
accident for 1.4 million flights). The 2010 rate was the lowest in
aviation history, just below the 2006 rate of 0.65. Compared to 10
years ago, the accident rate has been cut 42% from the rate
recorded in 2001. A hull loss is an accident in which the aircraft
is destroyed or substantially damaged and is not subsequently
repaired.
"Safety is the number one priority. Achieving the lowest
accident rate in the history of aviation shows that this commitment
is bearing results. Flying is safe. But every fatality is a human
tragedy that reminds us of the ultimate goal of zero accidents and
zero fatalities. We must remain focused and determined to move
closer to this goal year by year," said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA's
Director General and CEO.
In absolute numbers, 2010 saw the following results:
- 2.4 billion people flew safely on 36.8 million flights (28.4
million jet, 8.4 million turboprop).
- 17 hull loss accidents involving western-built jet aircraft
compared to 19 in 2009.
- 94 accidents (all aircraft types, Eastern and Western built)
compared to 90 in 2009.
- 23 fatal accidents (all aircraft types) compared to 18 in
2009.
- 786 fatalities compared to 685 in 2009.
IATA member airlines outperformed the industry average with a
Western-built jet hull loss rate of 0.25. That rate is equal to one
accident for every 4 million flights. The IATA Operational Safety
Audit (IOSA) became a condition of IATA membership from 1 April
2009. All 234 IATA member airlines are now on the IOSA registry.
The IOSA registry is open to all airlines and it currently consists
of over 350 airlines.
"The numbers tell the story. In the first full year after the
IOSA became a condition of IATA membership, the accident rate for
IATA carriers has never been so low. The data confirms that IOSA is
helping to drive safety improvements around the world. It is an
important part of a comprehensive safety strategy involving
governments and industry working together to further reduce the
number of accidents and fatalities," said Bisignani (pictured).
There are significant regional differences in the Western built
jet hull loss accident rate:
- North America (0.10), Europe (0.45), North Asia (0.34) and the
Commonwealth of Independent States (0.0) performed better than the
global average of 0.61.
- Asia-Pacific was higher than the global average at 0.80 in 2010
and about the same from the previous year (0.86).
- The Middle East and North Africa region saw its accident rate
fall significantly to 0.72 (compared to 3.32 in 2009) with only one
accident involving a carrier from the region.
- Latin America & the Caribbean reported a higher accident
rate of 1.87 with four airlines from the region involved in
accidents, compared with a zero accident rate in 2009.
- Africa had an accident rate of 7.41, which was lower than the
2009 rate of 9.94. While showing improvement, Africa once again has
the worst rate in the world. There were four Western-built jet hull
losses with African carriers in 2010. African carriers are 2% of
global traffic, but 23% of global western-built jet hull
losses.
In 2010, the accident rate of IOSA carriers in Africa (for all
aircraft types) was more than 50% better than non-IOSA airlines.
Among IATA's efforts in Africa, it established the IATA Program for
Safe Operations in Africa (IPSOA). IPSOA ensured that flight data
analysis tools are available to all IATA carriers in Africa, and as
of the last quarter of 2010, all IATA carriers have this essential
safety tool in place. IPSOA will provide IATA with the data needed
to develop safety programs targeted at specific challenges in the
region.
"Flying must be equally safe in all parts of the world. An
accident rate in Africa that is over 12 times the global average is
not acceptable. Improvements can happen. IATA's African carriers
performed significantly better than non-IATA airlines in the
region. I encourage all governments in the region to make use of
the IOSA tool to boost the region's performance," said
Bisignani.
An analysis of the causes of the 2010 accidents focuses on
several areas:
Runway excursions, which are instances when an aircraft departs
the runway during takeoff or landing, were once again the most
common cause of accidents, accounting for 21% of all accidents in
2010 (vs. 26% in 2009). The number of industry runway excursions
accidents dropped by 13% (20 vs. 23 in 2009) and IATA members have
reduced their runway excursion accidents by 43% since 2008 (4 vs. 7
in 2008).
In September 2010, IATA signed an historic agreement with the
International Civil Aviation Organization, the US Department of
Transportation and the Commission of the European Union to launch
the Global Safety Information Exchange. This first global
private/public partnership will exchange safety information aimed
at improving safety by reducing risk.