2013 safest year for international aviation - ICAO

Preliminary data released by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has confirmed that 2013 was the safest year ever recorded in terms of fatalities for scheduled international air transport operations.

Although the number of fatal accidents involving scheduled commercial operations remained steady at nine during 2013, fatalities were down at a significant 53.5 per cent from 2012, dropping to only 173 compared to 372 the previous year.

The report which was made available to the Ghana News Agency on Friday by Sue-Ann Rapattoni, ICAO Communications Associate, noted that using 2010 as a baseline, fatalities had fallen by a whopping 76 per cent and 2013 represents the third consecutive year in which air transport fatalities have continued to decrease.

“These results are no surprise given the level of commitment our sector demonstrates year-in and year-out to improving the safety of the global air transport network,” remarked ICAO Secretary General, Raymond Benjamin.

“Recent years have seen a tremendous increase in the level of cooperation and partnership on aviation safety priorities and we are now seeing the fruits of these efforts borne out by these remarkable 2013 outcomes.”

The report said using ICAO Regional Aviation Safety Group areas of responsibility as a basis for comparison, the Middle East had no fatal accidents, Africa and the Asia/Pacific each had one, Europe had two and the Americas saw the highest number with a total of five fatal accidents in 2013.

It also noted that, of the nine total fatal accidents worldwide, seven occurred during the approach or go-around phases of flight.

“Safety is ICAO’s guiding and most fundamental Strategic Objective,” stressed Dr Olumuyiwa Bernard Aliu, President of the ICAO Council.

“ICAO, together with a wide range of partnering organisations who are contributing to our cooperative international safety programmes, will continue to coordinate the investment and collaboration needed to ensure that air transport remains the safest means of rapidly moving people and goods worldwide.”