The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has stated that the African region has not recorded fatal air travel accidents in 3 years as highlighted by the 2023 safety performance report.
In all accident rate, the region recorded plummeting from 10.88 per million sectors in 2022 to 6.38 in 2023, surpassing the five-year average of 7.11.
Remarkably, the region reported no fatalities in 2023, pointing to the effectiveness of enhanced safety measures. Noteworthy is the absence of jet hull losses or fatal accidents in Africa since 2020.
The report highlighted the fifth instance of Africa reporting zero fatal turboprop accidents, with the initial occurrence documented in 2015.
What you should know
Under the Focus Africa initiative, IATA introduced the Continuous Aviation Safety Improvement Program (CASIP) to augment aviation safety in Africa, accentuating collaborative efforts with states to fortify the implementation of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs).
Despite visible progress, challenges persist. Both the Global Aviation Safety Plan (GASP) and the AFI Regional Aviation Safety Plan for Effective Implementation (EI) of ICAO ISARPs have heightened the minimum SARPs implementation threshold to 75% or greater, up from 60%.
Alarming is the fact that only 12 out of Africa’s 54 states meet this new threshold, pointing to the urgent need for substantial improvements in safety standards across the continent.
More insights
On a comprehensive scale, all accident rate for 2023 stood at a commendable 0.80 per million sectors, showcasing a noteworthy improvement from the 1.30 rate recorded in 2022 and marking the lowest figure in over a decade. This milestone outperformed the five-year rolling average (2019-2023) of 1.19, signifying an elevation in safety standards within the aviation sector.
Further highlighting positive trends, the fatality risk saw a notable decline to 0.03 in 2023, a substantial improvement from the 0.11 reported in 2022 and the 0.11 five-year average spanning 2019-2023.
To put this safety achievement into perspective, the average individual would need to embark on a daily air travel regimen for over 103,000 years to encounter a fatal accident. Notably, IATA member airlines and IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) registered airlines reported no fatal accidents throughout 2023.
Nevertheless, a solitary fatal accident involving a turboprop aircraft occurred, resulting in 72 fatalities-a significant reduction from the five fatal accidents documented in 2022.
In terms of operational metrics, the report highlighted a substantial increase in aircraft movements in 2023. The total number of aircraft movements, encompassing both jet and turboprop categories, reached 37 million-an impressive 17% rise compared to the previous year.
“2023 safety performance continues to demonstrate that flying is the safest mode of transport. Aviation places its highest priority on safety and that shows in the 2023 performance. Jet operations saw no hull losses or fatalities. 2023 also saw the lowest fatality risk and ‘all accident’ rate on record.
A single fatal turboprop accident with 72 fatalities, however, reminds us that we can never take safety for granted. And two high profile accidents in the first month of 2024 show that, even if flying is among the safest activities a person can do, there is always room to improve. This is what we have done throughout our history. And we will continue to make flying ever safer,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
