IATA Safety Performance Shows Reduction in Global Air Accidents

Chinedu Eze

The international Air Transport Association on Tuesday released its 2022 airline safety performance, which indicates significant reduction in air accidents globally.

The 2022 safety report for global aviation showed a reduction in the number of fatal accidents and the fatality risk, compared to 2021 and to the five year average (2018-2022).

The global body said that from this year, the safety report has been re-invented as an online interactive resource rather than in static PDF format. Report highlights include that in 2022, there were five fatal accidents involving loss of life to passengers and crew. This is reduced from seven in 2021 and an improvement on the five-year average (2018-2022), which was also seven.

The report also showed that the fatal accident rate improved to 0.16 per million sectors for 2022, from 0.27 per million sectors in 2021, and also was ahead of the five-year fatal accident rate of 0.20.

It indicated that the all accident rate was 1.21 per million sectors, a reduction compared to the rate of 1.26 accidents for the five years 2018-2022, but an increase compared to 1.13 accidents per million sectors in 2021.

The fatality risk declined to 0.11 from 0.23 in 2021 and 0.13 for the five years, 2018-2022 and IATA member airlines experienced one fatal accident in 2022, with 19 fatalities.

“Accidents are rare in aviation. There were five fatal accidents among 32.2 million flights in 2022. That tells us that flying is among the safest activities in which a person can engage. But even though the risk of flying is exceptionally low, it is not risk-free. Careful analysis of the trends that are emerging even at these very high levels of safety is what will make flying even safer. This year’s report, for example, tells us that we need to make some special efforts on turboprop operations in Africa and Latin America. Safety is aviation’s highest priority, and our goal is to have every flight take off and land safely regardless of region or aircraft type,” said IATA’s Director General, Willie Walsh.

IATA said theindustry 2022 fatality risk of 0.11 means that on average, a person would need to take a flight every day for 25,214 years to experience a 100 per cent fatal accident. This is an improvement over the five-year fatality rate (average of 22,116 years).

Despite the reduction in the number of fatal accidents, the number of fatalities rose from 121 in 2021 to 158 in 2022. The majority of fatalities in 2022 occurred in a single aircraft accident in China that claimed the lives of 132 persons. The airline involved was not an IATA member but is on the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) registry. The next largest loss of life occurred in an accident to an IATA member in Tanzania that resulted in 19 fatalities. Participation in IOSA is a requirement for IATA membership.

IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) is the global industry standard for airline operational safety. It is used by numerous authorities in their regulatory safety programs.

IATA showed that currently 409 operators are on the IOSA Registry, including 107 non-IATA Members. The all-accident rate for airlines on the IOSA registry in 2022 was four times better than the rate for non-IOSA airlines (0.70 vs. 2.82) and the 2018-2022 accident rate of IOSA airlines versus non-IOSA airlines was more than twice as good (0.88 vs. 2.19).

“IOSA continues to be the global standard for operational safety audits. With carriers on the IOSA registry having an aggregate safety record that is four times better than non-IOSA carriers, it is clearly continuing to make a difference. Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, we are transitioning IOSA to a risk-based model. By focusing on pertinent safety risks while maintaining a baseline of safety, IOSA will contribute to raising the safety bar even higher. Additionally, the IATA Standard Safety Assessment (ISSA), for operators of smaller aircraft that are not eligible for the IOSA program, ensures we look to deliver continuous improvement in safety performance across the whole aviation ecosystem,” said Walsh.

The report also showed that the number of turboprop accidents declined in 2022 compared to 2021 but they accounted for four of the five fatal accidents last year with loss of life to passengers and crew onboard. Although sectors flown by turboprops represented just 10.6 per cent of the total, turboprops were involved in 36 per cent of all accidents, 80 per cent of fatal accidents and 16% of fatalities in 2022.

Six regions showed improvement or no deterioration, in the turboprop hull loss rate in 2022 when compared to the five-year average. The two regions to see increases compared to the five-year average were Latin America/Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa.

“Both sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America saw increases in turboprop accidents last year. Introduction and adherence to global standards (including IOSA) are key to reversing this trend. The priority for Africa continues to be implementation of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) safety-related standards and recommended practices (SARPS),” said Walsh.

At year-end 2022, some 28 African countries (61 per cent) had an Effective Implementation (EI) rate of ICAO SARPS of 60 per cent or greater, unchanged from 2021. Increased attention is being placed to address the critical elements of the ICAO SARPS.

“Building a data rich environment across Africa is also essential to delivering regional improvements such as IATA’s Global Aviation Data Management program,” said Walsh.

“Turning to Latin America, the region took a step back in 2022 after registering steady safety improvements for several years. Working with government and industry stakeholders through bodies such as the Regional Aviation Safety Group Pan America, IATA is helping provide tools to enable state regulators and operators to support the adoption of safety best practices. At the local level, Collaborative Safety Teams and Runway Safety Teams are using IATA’s GADM safety database and other data sources to identify and mitigate risks,” Walsh also said.