MONTRÉAL, 10 April 2014 – The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) released its annual Safety Report today, reflecting very positive global aviation safety outcomes for 2013.
The global accident rate came in at 2.8 per million departures versus 3.2 per million in 2012, representing a 13 per cent decrease. The number of fatal accidents involving scheduled commercial operations remained steady at nine during 2013, with total fatalities down to 173 compared to 388 in 2012 – a 55 per cent decrease. Using 2010 as a baseline, fatalities were down by 72 per cent.
“The aviation community is always grateful to see its commitment to safety rewarded with improved year-on-year results,” remarked ICAO Secretary General, Raymond Benjamin, “but as recent events in Malaysia remind us, even one fatal aircraft accident is too many as far as we are concerned.”
Building on their previous work in the area, ICAO and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) also published a comprehensive joint aviation safety analysis covering 2013 in their reports – a first for both organizations.
“The aviation sector is a highly cooperative domain and these recent joint efforts with IATA on safety analysis are a further good example of how collaborative approaches help us to achieve progress,” stressed Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, President of the ICAO Council. “ICAO has also been encouraged by the safety results out of Africa for 2013, supporting our long-standing work to promote greater regional collaboration on the continent.”
ICAO’s Regional Aviation Safety Group for Africa (RASG-AFI) registered a single fatal accident in 2013 and associated RASG-AFI fatalities were reduced by a factor of five compared with 2012.
Resources for editors:
The ICAO 2014 Safety Report: http://www.icao.int/safety/Documents/ICAO_2014%20Safety%20Report_final_02042014_web.pdf
The ICAO Fourth Edition Global Air Navigation Plan: http://www.icao.int/publications/Documents/9750_4ed_en.pdf
The ICAO Global Aviation Safety Plan: http://www.icao.int/publications/Documents/10004_cons_en.pdf
