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20-Jan-2014 9:07 AM

ICAO: 2013 safest year on record for scheduled international aviation

ICAO and IATA released (14-Jan-2014) preliminary data confirming that 2013 was the safest year ever recorded in terms of fatalities for scheduled international air transport operations. The number of aviation accidents involving fatalities remained steady at nine during 2013, while fatalities declined 53.5% from 2012, dropping to only 173 compared to 372 the previous year. Using 2010 as a baseline, fatalities have fallen by 76% and 2013 represents the third consecutive year in which air transport fatalities have continued to decrease. Using ICAO Regional Aviation Safety Group areas of responsibility as a basis for comparison, the Middle East had no fatal accidents, Africa and the Asia/Pacific each had one, Europe had two, and the Americas saw the highest number with a total of five fatal accidents in 2013. Also of note was that, of the nine total fatal accidents worldwide, seven occurred during the approach or go-around phases of flight.

  • 60% of all fatalities were attributed to accidents involving narrowbody aircraft;
  • 37% of all fatalities were attributed to accidents involving turboprop aircraft;
  • 3% of all fatalities were attributed to accidents involving widebody aircraft.

The world percentage of 'Effective Implementation' (EI) of ICAO's Safety Oversight Critical Elements by ICAO member states rose from 61.1 to 61.7 between the beginning and end of 2013. In the Regional Aviation Safety Group regions, the African Indian Ocean Geographic region, Middle East and Pan-America saw an increase in the EI, while Asia-Pacific and Europe regions had a small decrease. [more - original PR]

ICAO: "Safety is ICAO's guiding and most fundamental Strategic Objective. ICAO and IATA , together with a wide range of partnering organizations who are contributing to our cooperative international safety programmes, will continue to coordinate the investment and collaboration needed to ensure that air transport remains the safest means of rapidly moving people and goods worldwide," Dr Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, president of the ICAO Council. Source: ICAO, 14-Jan-2014.

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