The International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) annual safety report for 2024 concludes that since 2023 there has been an increase in air travel accidents and fatalities, but the overall figures remained below the benchmark of the five-year average.

Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general, said: “Even with recent high profile aviation accidents, it is important to remember that accidents are extremely rare. The long-term story of aviation safety is one of continuous improvement.

“A decade ago, the five-year average (2011-2015) was one accident for every 456,000 flights. Today, the five-year average (2020-2024) is one accident for every 810,000 flights. That improvement is because we know that every fatality is one too many.”

The safety report stated one of the major causes of concern for aviation incidents to be rising conflict zones, citing the December crash in Kazakhstan, which reported 38 fatalities, and the crash in Sudan, with five, as examples of the growing issue.  In the aftermath of these incidents, IATA highlighted the importance of Canada’s Safer Skies initiative, that works with commercial airlines and international organisations to ensure passenger safety in risk areas.

In the category of most common accidents, two areas were flagged: tail strikes and runway excursions, with North America in particular as a risk area.  The emerging data underpins the need for international aviation organisations to institute measures to ensure passenger and crew safety during take-off and landings.

While it was not a main cause of aviation accidents in 2024, IATA also reported a sharp rise in Global Navigation Satellite system (GNNSS) related interfaces, like signal disruptions, jamming and spoofing, that have flagged it as a concern on the index looking toward 2025.

“Reliable navigation is fundamental to safe and efficient flight operations. Immediate steps by governments and air navigation service providers are needed to stop this practice, improve situational awareness, and ensure that airlines have the necessary tools to operate safely in all areas,” said Walsh.

The numerous crashes that have occurred since the beginning of 2025, suggest that these may still be areas of concern for airlines, and the key to ensuring public safety and instituting better preventative measures is more accident investigation, according to Walsh.

“Accident investigation is a vital tool for improving global aviation safety. To be effective, the reports of accident investigations must be complete, accessible, and timely,” said Walsh.

IATA’s full 2024 Annual Safety Report is available online.