Air travel in 2018 was marginally less safe than in 2017, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) annual Airline Safety Performance Report, but major accidents remained rare—occurring about once every 5.4 million flights.
The accident rate per one million flights increased slightly, from 1.11 in 2017 to 1.35 in 2018. While 2017 represented a record low, the 2018 figure still compared favorably to the 2013–2017 average of 1.79 accidents per million flights.
During 2018 there were 11 fatal jet accidents worldwide, resulting in 523 fatalities.
“Last year some 4.3 billion passengers flew safely on 46.1 million flights; 2018 was not the extraordinary year that 2017 was,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s director general and CEO.
De Juniac emphasized that aviation remains on a long-term safety improvement trend. He noted that if 2018’s safety levels had matched those of 2013, the industry would have experienced 109 accidents rather than 62, and 18 fatal accidents instead of the 11 that actually occurred.
According to the report’s analysis, a passenger who flew once a day would, on average, go 241 years before encountering an accident that resulted in a fatality on board.
“Flying continues to be the safest form of long-distance travel the world has ever known,” de Juniac said, highlighting ongoing progress in airline safety despite year-to-year variation.