EASA: 2013 Safest Year In Aviation History

The start of 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of commercial aviation together with the achievement of the best safety record in aviation history, according to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Worldwide fatal accidents involving large commercial air transport airplanes were lower in 2013 than any other year in the last decade, with 17 accidents, compared with a yearly average of 27. There has also been a significant reduction in the number of fatalities worldwide: in 2013 there were 224 fatalities, compared with a yearly average of 703 between 2003 and 2012.

There were no fatal accidents involving large commercial air transport airplanes in EASA Member States in 2013.  In the same year, airline operators in EASA Member States performed approximately six million commercial air transport flights,  transporting over 800 million passengers.

The graph shows the cumulative number of fatal accidents per month worldwide, in commercial air transport, comparing 2013 with 2012 and with the average for the decade 2003-2012.

“Europe continues to have one of the strongest safety records in the world, however this positive picture cannot be taken for granted; as traffic over European skies and worldwide increases, we need to continue our efforts to maintain and even improve aviation safety,” said Patrick Ky, Executive Director of EASA.