The IATA safety report for 2025, released on March 9, 2026, shows the global aviation sector recorded 394 onboard fatalities last year, up from 244 in 2024 and above the five-year average of 198.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) published the findings in Geneva. The overall accident rate stood at 1.32 accidents per million flights, an improvement from 1.42 in 2024. However, the rate remains slightly above the 2021–2025 five-year average of 1.27.
Key Figures from the IATA Safety Report
A total of 51 accidents were recorded across 38.7 million flights in 2025, compared to 54 accidents across 37.9 million flights in 2024. Fatal accidents numbered 8, up from 7 in 2024 and above the five-year average of 6.
The fatality risk rate reached 0.17 per million flights in 2025, compared to 0.06 in 2024. Two accidents accounted for the majority of deaths: Air India Flight 171, which caused 241 fatalities, and PSA Airlines Flight 5342, which caused 64 fatalities. Together, these two events represented more than 77% of all onboard deaths in 2025.
“Aviation remains the safest form of long-distance travel, and accidents are rare. However, every accident reminds us of the need to focus on continuous improvement through raising global standards and safety data-based collaboration. Aviation is so safe that a single accident among approximately 40 million annual flights can move global statistics, but our goal as an industry remains zero accidents and zero fatalities — every accident matters enormously.”
Willie Walsh, Director General, IATA
IATA Member Airlines Outperform Industry Average
IATA member airlines recorded a total accident rate of 0.72 accidents per million flights, significantly lower than the 3.09 rate recorded for non-member carriers. Airlines participating in IATA’s Operational Safety Audit program recorded a rate of 0.98, compared to 2.55 for non-participating carriers.
Regional Performance and the Middle East
The Middle East and North Africa region recorded only one accident in 2025, a runway excursion, improving its total accident rate from 1.09 per million flights in 2024 to 0.53 in 2025. Moreover, the region’s fatality risk index has remained at zero since 2019.
North America recorded 16 accidents, raising its rate from 1.49 in 2024 to 1.68 in 2025, above the five-year regional average of 1.33. Africa continued to record the highest accident rate globally at 7.86 per million flights, though this represents an improvement from 12.13 in 2024. Furthermore, 71% of accidents involving Africa-based operators involved turboprop aircraft.
Emerging Risks: GPS Interference and Conflict Zones
IATA’s cybersecurity-adjacent concern over satellite navigation interference intensified in 2025. According to IATA’s Safety Data Exchange program, jamming incident reports rose 67% compared to 2023, while GPS spoofing incidents surged 193%.
Walsh said governments and air navigation service providers must take immediate steps to improve situational awareness and develop mitigation tools for pilots. He added that interference with global navigation systems is unacceptable and must be stopped.
On conflict zones, IATA stated that expanding conflicts create growing complexity for flight paths and operations. The association called on governments to restrict or close airspace quickly and transparently when risks exceed containment capacity, and to provide airlines with sufficient information for their own risk assessments.
Accident Investigation Reporting Gaps Persist
IATA’s analysis of investigations conducted between 2019 and 2023 found that only 63% of accident reports were completed in line with states’ obligations under the Chicago Convention. Completion rates varied significantly by region: the Commonwealth of Independent States led at 81%, followed by North America at 78% and Europe at 75%. Africa recorded the lowest completion rate at just 19%.
“Accident investigations help us improve safety, but many are not published in a timely manner, are incomplete, or have limited accessibility. Annex 13 of the Chicago Convention is clear on states’ obligations. Any percentage below 100% means the entire industry is missing critical improvement opportunities.”
Willie Walsh, Director General, IATA
In response, IATA said it has established a centralized platform to consolidate safety recommendations from final investigation reports into a single global repository, aiming to support data-driven analysis and accident prevention across the industry.