(28 Mar 2021)
According to IATA’s 2020 Safety
Report, the total number of accidents
in commercial aviation decreased from 52 in 2019 to 38 in 2020,
and the total number of
fatal accidents decreased from 8 in 2019 to 5 in 2020.
The all
accident rate was 1.71 accidents per million flights,
higher than the 5-year (2016-2020) average rate which is 1.38
accidents per million flights.
IATA member airlines’ accident
rate was 0.83 per million flights, which was an improvement over
the 5-year average rate of 0.96.
Total flight operations reduced by 53% to 22
million in 2020 whilst the fatality risk remained
unchanged compared to the five-year average at 0.13.
With a
fatality risk of 0.13 for air travel, on average, a person would
have to travel by air every day for 461 years before experiencing
an accident with at least one fatality. On average, a person would
have to travel every day for 20,932 years to experience a 100%
fatal accident.
“Flying is safe, although the industry did take a
step back on performance in 2020,” said Alexandre de Juniac,
IATA’s Director General and CEO. “The severe reduction in flight
numbers magnified the impact of each accident when we calculate
rates. But numbers don’t lie, and we will not allow this to become
a trend. We will have even sharper focus on safety during this
period of reduced operations and as flight schedules are rebuilt
when the world reopens.”
For the first time in
more than 15 years, there were no Loss of Control Inflight (LOC-I)
accidents which have accounted for the largest share of
fatalities since 2016.
“The lack of any such events in 2020 was a
positive development. Nevertheless, based on the initial reports
from the investigation into the tragic loss of Sriwijaya Air SJ
182 early in 2021, we must continue to learn and improve,” said de Juniac.
Jet hull loss rates by region of operator (per 1 million departures)
The
global average hull loss rate rose slightly in 2021 compared to
the five-year average (2016-2020) despite improvement in five
regions.
Turboprop hull loss rates by region of operator (per 1 million departures)
Six regions showed improvement or no deterioration in the
turboprop hull loss rate in 2020 when compared to their respective
five-year averages. Accidents involving turboprop aircraft
represented 29% of all accidents and 40% of fatal accidents in
2020.
Safety in Africa
Airlines based in
sub-Saharan Africa experienced six accidents last year, two of
which were fatal, both involving turboprop aircraft. This is the
same number of fatal accidents that occurred in 2019, nevertheless
the fatality risk increased owing to the fact that there were
fewer flights last year. There were no hull loss accidents
involving jet aircraft in 2020.
The focus in Africa
continues to be on accelerating the implementation of the
International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) safety-related
standards and recommended practices (SARPS). At year-end 2020,
some 28 African countries (61% of the total) had at least 60%
SARPS implementation, unchanged from 2019.
“While we recognize the
extraordinary challenges in 2020 that touched on all aspects of
aviation, we hope that we will see additional movement in this
number as the pandemic recedes,” said de Juniac.
IATA also
continues to work closely with all key stakeholders in the region.
IATA and African Airlines Association (AFRAA) joined forces with
the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) on a three-year
safety project to provide technical support to the African air
operators of states party to the Single Africa Air Transport
Market (SAATM) to ensure they achieve and maintain global aviation
safety standards.
Safety in CIS
Airlines based in
the CIS region experienced no fatal accidents in 2020, which was a
significant improvement compared to 2019. The jet hull loss rate
for CIS airlines in 2020 improved compared to 2019 but declined
compared to the five-year average 2016-2020 and was the highest
among regions. CIS airlines experienced no turboprop hull loss
accidents in 2020, a significant improvement over 2019 and the
five-year average.
IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA)
The all accident rate for airlines on the IOSA registry was
nearly three times better than that of non-IOSA airlines for 2020
(1.20 vs. 3.29). The 2016-2020 average of IOSA airlines versus
non-IOSA airlines was more than twice as good (0.99 vs. 2.32). All
IATA member airlines are required to maintain their IOSA
registration. There are currently 438 airlines on the IOSA
Registry of which 142 are non-IATA Members.
Fatality Risk
Fatality risk measures the exposure of a passenger or crew to
a catastrophic accident with no survivors. The calculation of
fatality risk does not take into account aircraft size or how many
were onboard. What is measured is the percentage of fatalities
among those onboard.
The full 244-page / 22.99 MB report can be downloaded in .pdf
format,
here.
See also:
What is the IATA Travel Pass, and what does it mean for
travellers, airlines and the global travel industry? Exclusive
video interview with Vinoop Goel.
See latest
Travel Industry News,
Video
Interviews,
Podcasts
and other
news regarding:
COVID19,
IATA,
Safety.
Headlines: |
Japan Coast Guard Orders Two More Airbus H225 Helicopters |
