Air accident rate fell for the first time in 15 years

The global commercial flight industry fared better on safety parameters last year as the accident rate fell and for the first time in at least 15 years. There was no runway or taxiway excursion accidents, said airlines trade body, International Air Transport Association (IATA) in its recently released 2021 safety performance data.

In 2021, the rate was one accident for every 9. 9 lakh flights, while a year earlier it was one for every 6. 3 lakh flights in the year 2020, it said. In 2021, 2. 5 crore airline passenger flights were operated out of which 26 met with accidents. Within these, 7 were fatal crashes that killed a total of 121 people.

Among the fatal crashes, one involved a large passenger jet aircraft — the Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 crash in Indonesia on January 9, 2021, which killed all 61 people. In 2020, 2. 22 crore airline flights were operated, 35 accidents occurred, out of which 5 were fatal with a total death toll of 132 people. Among them as the Air India Express crash in Calicut on August 7, 2020 which killed 21 people.

Within the commercial airline industry, IATA member airlines fared better, with one accident for every 22 lakh flights in 2021, while the rate in 2020 was higher at one accident for every 13 lakh flights, showed the report.

“In the face of numerous operational challenges in 2021, the industry improved in several key safety metrics. At the same time, it is clear that we have much work ahead of us to bring all regions and types of operations up to global levels of safety performance,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general.