2023 safest year for African airlines  –IATA

By Chinelo Obogo

the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has declared 2023 as the safest year for African airlines.
In its 2023 Annual Safety Report, the global aviation body said the African continent did not record any hull losses or fatal accidents involving passenger jet aircraft last year.
It said: “In 2023, there were no fatalities. The African region has had no jet hull losses or fatal accidents since 2020. The all accident rate improved from 10.88 per million sectors in 2022 to 6.38 in 2023, better than the five-year average of 7.11
“Additionally, 2023 marked the fifth occurrence of Africa reporting zero fatal turboprop accidents, with the first instance recorded in 2015.
“Under the Focus Africa initiative, IATA introduced CASIP to enhance aviation safety in Africa. CASIP efforts are continuing to partner with states to increase implementation of ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs). The Global Aviation Safety Plan (GASP) as well as AFI Regional Aviation Safety Plan for Effective Implementation (EI) of ICAO ISARPs have increased the minimum SARPs implementation threshold to 75% or greater (from 60%). Only 12 of Africa’s 54 states meet this new threshold indicating the need for significant improvements.”
IATA member airlines and IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) registered airlines experienced no fatal accident in 2023. The all accident rate was 0.80 per million sectors in 2023 (one accident for every 1.26 million flights), an improvement from 1.30 in 2022 and the lowest rate in over a decade.

This rate outperformed the five-year (2019-2023) rolling average of 1.19 (an average one accident for every 880,293 flights).

The fatality risk improved to 0.03 in 2023 from 0.11 in 2022 and 0.11 for the five years, 2019-2023. At this level of safety, on average a person would have to travel by air every day for 103,239 years to experience a fatal accident.
IATA’s Director General, Willie Walsh said: “2023 safety performance continues to demonstrate that flying is the safest mode of transport. Aviation places its highest priority on safety and that shows in the 2023 performance. Jet operations saw no hull losses or fatalities. 2023 also saw the lowest fatality risk and ‘all accident’ rate on record.
“ A single fatal turboprop accident with 72 fatalities, however, reminds us that we can never take safety for granted. And two high profile accidents in the first month of 2024 show that, even if flying is among the safest activities a person can do, there is always room to improve. This is what we have done throughout our history and we will continue to make flying ever safer.”