ICAO, IATA, confirm 2013 as safest year for global aviation

                                               Written  By Chika Goodluck-Ogazi
                               
THE International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have confirmed that 2013 was the safest year ever recorded in terms of fatalities for scheduled international air transport operations in a data jointly released by the bodies.
The international bodies stated that although the number of aviation accidents involving fatalities remained steady at nine during 2013, adding that, fatalities themselves were down, a significant of 53.5 per cent from 2012, dropping to only 173 compared to 372 the previous year.
Using 2010 as a baseline, the report noted that fatalities had fallen by a whopping 76 per cent and 2013 represented the third consecutive year in which air transport fatalities have continued to decrease.

According to the Secretary General, ICAO, Raymond Benjamin: “These results are no surprise given the level of commitment our sector demonstrates, year-in and year-out, to improving the safety of the global air transport network.


“Recent years have seen a tremendous increase in the level of cooperation and partnership on aviation safety priorities and we are now seeing the fruits of these efforts born out by these remarkable 2013 outcomes.”
The groups stated that the Middle East had no fatal accidents, Africa and the Asia/Pacific each had one, Europe had two, and the Americas saw the highest number with a total of five fatal accidents in 2013. Also of note was that of the nine total fatal accidents worldwide, seven occurred during the approach or go-around phases of flight.

The President of the ICAO Council, Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu said: “Safety is ICAO’s guiding and most fundamental strategic objective. “ICAO and IATA, together with a wide range of partnering organisations who are contributing to our cooperative international safety programmes, will continue to coordinate the investment and collaboration needed to ensure that air transport remains the safest means of rapidly moving people and goods worldwide.”

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