International Air Transport Association (IATA) has recently released its 2023 safety performance report, which highlights the commendable safety record of the African aviation region.
Gatekeepers News reports that the African region, according to the report, has not experienced any fatal air travel accidents in the past three years, and the overall accident rate has significantly dropped from 10.88 per million sectors in 2022 to 6.38 in 2023, surpassing the five-year average of 7.11.
The report also points out that the African aviation industry has been successful in implementing enhanced safety measures, resulting in zero fatalities and no jet hull losses or fatal accidents since 2020. Moreover, the region has reported zero fatal turboprop accidents for the fifth time, with the first occurrence dating back to 2015.
In terms of overall safety standards, the all-accident rate for 2023 stood at a commendable 0.80 per million sectors, showcasing a significant improvement from the 1.30 rate recorded in 2022, marking the lowest figure in over a decade, and outperforming the five-year rolling average (2019-2023) of 1.19.
Furthermore, the fatality risk has seen a notable decline to 0.03 in 2023, a substantial improvement from the 0.11 reported in 2022, and the 0.11 five-year average spanning 2019-2023. The report highlights that an average individual would need to embark on a daily air travel regimen for over 103,000 years to encounter a fatal accident, which is an impressive safety achievement.
Although there was a solitary fatal accident involving a turboprop aircraft that caused 72 fatalities in 2023, it is still a significant reduction from the five fatal accidents documented in 2022. It is worth noting that IATA member airlines and IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) registered airlines reported no fatal accidents throughout 2023.
Lastly, the report highlights a substantial increase in aircraft movements in 2023, with the total number of aircraft movements, including both jet and turboprop categories, reaching 37 million, an impressive 17% rise compared to the previous year.
“2023 safety performance continues to demonstrate that flying is the safest mode of transport. Aviation places its highest priority on safety and that shows in the 2023 performance. Jet operations saw no hull losses or fatalities. 2023 also saw the lowest fatality risk and ‘all accident’ rate on record.
“A single fatal turboprop accident with 72 fatalities, however, reminds us that we can never take safety for granted. And two high-profile accidents in the first month of 2024 show that, even if flying is among the safest activities a person can do, there is always room to improve. This is what we have done throughout our history. And we will continue to make flying ever safer,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
