According to the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) 2022 Safety Report, there was a 9.8% decrease in the global accident rate for last year versus 2020, dropping from 2.14 to 1.93 per million departures. This was also the lowest accident rate in the last five years.
Safety increasing?
In 2021, the States reported 48 accidents in scheduled commercial operations, with only four having recorded fatalities, according to the latest report released by ICAO on Thursday. Fatalities in 2021 fell by 66% against the number in 2020, though the number of accidents where fatalities occurred remained consistent at four.
Juan Carlos Salazar, ICAO’s Secretary General, said, “These outcomes are very positive and encouraging, and reconfirm that air transport is the safest mode of transport even during the current global circumstances.” He added,
“Scheduled commercial flight departures in 2021 increased by almost 11%, 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.”
While 2021 had the lowest accident rate in the last five years and the smallest number of accidents (48), it did not have the smallest number of fatalities (that was 2017, when only 50 deaths were recorded, versus 104 last year).
The accidents in 2021
Between 2017 and 2021, the trend of the annual number of accidents decreased. The highest count recorded within this period was in 2019, with 114 accidents. In 2020 and 2021, the number of accidents significantly reduced; however, this period was also impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and a significant decrease in traffic of passengers and flights.
In 2021, there were four fatal accidents, according to ICAO. These accidents took place in the Asia-Pacific (APAC), Eastern and Southern Africa (ESAF), and European and North Atlantic (EUR/NAT) regions, with one, one, and two, respectively. There were 104 fatalities (62 in APAC, ten in ESAF, and 32 in EUR/NAT). These ICAO numbers don’t match the data released earlier this year by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which said there were seven fatal accidents in 2021, with 121 fatalities.
The deadliest accident in 2022 took place in Indonesia when a Boeing 737-500 from Sriwijaya Air fell into the ocean. There were 62 fatalities. The second-deadliest accident last year was recorded in Russia. An Antonov An-26 aircraft belonging to Kamchatka Aviation Enterprise went missing just before landing at Palana Airport. There were 26 fatalities.
There were 48 accidents in scheduled commercial operations in 2021. Photo: Getty Images.
Addressing safety and security
The positive safety performance seen in 2022 worldwide is due, in part, to the pandemic response and recovery recommendations set out by the ICAO Council’s Aviation Recovery Task Force, said ICAO Council President Salvatore Schiacchitano. Nonetheless, the airline industry worldwide must continue emphasizing improving safety performance and reducing operational safety risk through improved standardization, implementation, and monitoring.
Earlier this year, Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, said,
“Safety is always our highest priority. The severe reduction in flight numbers last year compared to the 5-year average magnified the impact of each accident when we calculated rates. Yet, in the face of numerous operational challenges in 2021, the industry improved in several key safety metrics. At the same time, it is clear that we have much work ahead of us to bring all regions and types of operations up to global levels of safety performance.”