Rising Flight Volumes Calls for Uncompromising Focus on Safety

While global aviation safety trends continue to be positive, statistics recently published by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) are a stark reminder of the need to heighten and broaden global co-operation on key safety priorities, particularly as flight volumes increase worldwide.

The data in ICAO’s ‘2025 Edition Safety Report – State of Global Aviation Safety’ shows some 95 accidents involving scheduled commercial flights last year, compared to 66 accidents in 2023.

As many as 10 of those accidents were fatal, with the total number of fatalities reaching 296, up from 72 the previous year. The global accident rate also rose, to 2.56 accidents per million departures, compared to 1.87 in 2023.

These accident figures remain lower than pre-pandemic levels and come as the aviation system accommodated record breaking traffic volumes, with over 37mn departures worldwide.

ICAO’s report also reveals trends specific to regions.

The Asia-Pacific and Europe/North Atlantic regions each recorded three fatal accidents during the reporting period, while one event in South America resulted in some 62 fatalities. The Asia-Pacific region saw the highest overall fatality count, followed by South America and Europe/North Atlantic.

The report provides more details into the factors determining these outcomes in each region, including the support and co-ordination being implemented by ICAO Regional Offices and implementation support mechanisms to maintain and continuously improve aviation safety at the regional level.

“Aviation remains the safest form of transport, and the long-term trend demonstrates continuous improvement,” remarked ICAO Secretary-General Juan Carlos Salazar.

“The figures from 2024 are a tragic and timely reminder that sustained, collective action is necessary to keep advancing toward ICAO’s goal of zero fatalities in commercial air transport,” remarked ICAO Council President Salvatore Sciacchitano.

“ICAO will reinforce its advocacy and support for robust safety management, innovation, and international collaboration towards this goal.”

According to ICAO, global passenger traffic continued to grow in 2024 with around 4.528bn passengers transported worldwide, up from 4.17bn passengers in 2023 and surpassed the pre-pandemic (2019) level of 4.5bn passengers.

The passenger traffic in 2024 increased 8.6% from 2023. The number of flight departures for scheduled commercial operations also increased by 5.2% with over 37mn departures in 2024, compared to over 35mn in 2023, though slightly lower than the pre-pandemic (2019) level.

ICAO’s analysis identified four high-risk categories that accounted for 25% of fatalities and 40% of fatal accidents in 2024: Controlled flight into terrain, loss of control in flight, mid-air collision and runway incursion.

The organisation also noted that turbulence accounted for nearly three-quarters of all serious injuries, pointing to the increasing impact of weather-related hazards.

To address these specific risks and other emerging risks, ICAO is advancing several targeted initiatives. Global runway safety action plans aim to reduce runway excursions and incursions, while enhanced real-time turbulence monitoring systems will help aircraft operators better anticipate and avoid severe weather.

The report also addresses the growing threat of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) radio frequency interference, which ICAO is mitigating through the development of enhanced guidance on spoofing and jamming mitigation, updating navigation manuals to better handle GNSS disruptions, and working with international partners to establish protective frameworks to safeguard these systems.

Enhanced systems for accident/incident and wildlife strike reporting are supporting a more data-driven approach to industry safety, which will help identify emerging risks before they lead to accidents. In this regard, ICAO reported progress in transparency and learning from past events.

ICAO has also highlighted the importance of promoting enhanced civil-military co-operation to address conflict related risks.

Looking forward, ICAO is preparing for tomorrow's technologies by developing safety frameworks for the safe integration of unmanned aircraft and advanced air mobility vehicles into traditional airspace, which is another significant focus of today’s publication.

Obviously, higher flight volumes mean more aircraft in the sky, denser airport traffic, and tighter schedules.

This raises the risk of runway incursions, mid-air conflicts, and air traffic management errors, requiring stronger safety systems and co-ordination.

Clearly, air travel is built on trust-passengers fly because they believe it is safe!

Therefore, even a single major accident can severely undermine confidence in airlines, airports, and regulators, potentially reducing demand.

As global air traffic continues to expand, safety must be regarded not merely as a regulatory requirement but as the cornerstone of sustainable growth, passenger confidence, and operational resilience.

Airlines and regulators that place safety at the heart of their strategies will be better placed to tap rising demand even as they safeguard against potential risks.