Airline fatalities hit record low last year

© Shutterstock

Last year, airline fatalities globally hit a record low, according to a European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) report. EASA began record keeping in 1970.

There were nine fatal accidents in 2017 involving large airplane passenger and cargo operations and resulting in 67 fatalities. The median number of deaths per accident was four.

Between 2007 and 2016, the median number of fatalities per accident was eight and the highest fatality rate in a single accident was 298.

“This is achieved through the safety actions that are identified in the European Plan for Aviation Safety,” Patrick Ky, EASA executive director, said. “In partnership with our member states, we are developing a better view of safety and defining a collective response. Additionally, EASA coordinates beyond Europe at a global level in order to help protect our citizens when they travel beyond our borders.”

In noncommercial operations, there were 34 fatal accidents and 62 deaths last year. This includes 25 fatal accidents and 27 fatalities involving sailplanes, seven fatal accidents and 17 fatalities involving rotorcraft operations, three fatal accidents and seven fatalities involving balloons, and three fatal accidents and four fatalities.

The progress made in 2017 was erased this year. In January alone, there were more fatalities than in all of 2017.