Writer

Amy Wilder

Global aviation safety trends remain positive over the long term, but the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) warns that accident and fatality rates rose in 2024 from the previous year despite record-breaking traffic volumes. The agency’s <a href="https://icao.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ca89133312bd10bdbf3c24f4a&amp;id=b5a9d6b135&amp;e=bd47de36e8">2025 Edition Safety Report – State of Global Aviation Safety</a> recorded 95 accidents involving scheduled commercial flights worldwide, up from 66 in 2023. Ten of those were fatal, resulting in 296 deaths—more than quadruple the 72 fatalities reported the previous year.
The global accident rate climbed to 2.56 per million departures, compared with 1.87 in 2023, even as the industry handled more than 37 million departures worldwide. ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar said aviation remains the safest form of transport, but stressed the need for continuous improvement. ICAO Council president Salvatore Sciacchitano called the 2024 data “a tragic and timely reminder” of the importance of collective action toward the goal of zero fatalities.
Four high-risk categories—controlled flight into terrain, loss of control in flight, midair collisions, and runway incursions—accounted for 25% of fatalities and 40% of fatal accidents. ICAO also reported that turbulence was responsible for nearly three-quarters of all serious injuries in 2024, a trend it linked to increasing weather-related hazards.
To address these issues, ICAO is advancing global runway safety action plans, developing enhanced real-time turbulence monitoring systems, and issuing updated guidance to mitigate Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) spoofing and jamming. The agency is also expanding data-driven approaches to accident, incident, and wildlife strike reporting, and promoting enhanced civil-military cooperation to reduce conflict-related risks.
Looking ahead, ICAO is preparing safety frameworks for integrating uncrewed aircraft systems and advanced air mobility into traditional airspace. Regional analysis showed the Asia-Pacific and Europe/North Atlantic regions each had three fatal accidents in 2024, while South America recorded one fatal accident with 62 deaths. Asia-Pacific had the highest overall fatality count, followed by South America and Europe/North Atlantic.
The 2025 report also highlights ICAO’s 80th anniversary and its continued role in leading the international alignment of technical standards and safety strategies for its 193 member states.

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