2022 Recorded as the Safest Year for Commercial Flights, Reports Airline Group

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) highlighted that 2022 was the safest year on record for commercial aviation, in spite of a substantial increase in flight numbers.

The year witnessed only one deadly crash involving a passenger aircraft—an ATR turboprop from Nepal's Yeti Airlines that crashed during a local route, resulting in 72 fatalities.

Out of a total of 42 recorded accidents in 2022, only five were fatal, causing 158 deaths. The IATA, which excludes business and military flights among others from its data, also reported 29 non-fatal incidents.

The IATA defines a non-fatal accident as one that either incurs damage exceeding $1 million or corresponds to at least 10% of the aircraft's value.

The association, representing over 300 airlines, stressed the record-low hazard of flying fatalities and overall accidents, noting the improbability of experiencing a fatal flight even if flying daily for over 100,000 years.

The decline in accidents occurred as flight operations went up by 17% in 2022 to 37.7 million flights.

IATA Director General Willie Walsh acknowledged the inherent safety of flying while recognizing the need for continuous improvement, referencing two significant non-fatal accidents in early 2024 involving an evacuated Japan Airlines A350 Airbus in Tokyo and an incident with a Boeing 737 MAX operated by Alaska Airlines in the U.S.