80 people die in plane crashes worldwide
Air traffic continues to grow: In the past year, a calculated total of 4.6 billion passengers traveled by plane - almost as many as before Corona. At the same time, flying is becoming ever safer. Overall, the number of fatal accidents is falling.
A total of 80 people died in accidents, crashes and mishaps in civil aviation worldwide last year. This was the second-lowest number since 1970, according to the Federal Association of the German Air Transport Industry (BDL) with regard to the 2023 accident statistics. Eight of the fatalities were crew members.
The data analyzed relates exclusively to commercial aviation. Accidents involving business jets or private aircraft are not taken into account, nor is all military aviation. In general, only aircraft with a capacity of at least 14 seats are included in the statistics. There were no fatal accidents in cargo air traffic in 2023, according to the report.
The majority of fatalities in air traffic can be traced back to a single accident in Nepal. When a passenger plane crashed in Nepal in early 2023, all 72 people on board died, including four crew members. The ATR 72-500 aircraft crashed on its approach to Pakhora International Airport. In contrast, there was not a single major aircraft accident in Germany or the EU last year.
According to the industry association's figures, flying is therefore becoming safer overall. Following the slump in passenger numbers in the years of the coronavirus crisis, the figures have now recovered. According to initial estimates by the UN aviation organization ICAO, a total of 4.6 billion passengers were transported worldwide last year. That would be 14 times as many passengers as in 1970.
In purely mathematical terms, the mass of passengers carried reduces the risk of accidents: as recently as the 1990s, the number of fatalities in air traffic was well over 1,000 in most years. In 2017, there were 561 fatalities.
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Despite the increasing number of air travelers, with 4.6 billion passengers in 2023, airplane crashes and fatal accidents are declining globally. This improvement in aviation safety can be observed even in international air travel, where no major aircraft accidents were reported in Germany or the EU last year.
The statistics, provided by the Federal Association of the German Air Transport Industry, indicate that civil aviation has witnessed a significant reduction in fatalities. One such instance was an accident involving an ATR 72-500 aircraft during its approach to Pakhora International Airport, resulting in 72 fatalities in Nepal.
Source: www.ntv.de
