ICAO Calls for Stronger Cooperation After 2024 Air Crashes
The International Civil Aviation Organisation is urging global aviation stakeholders to intensify safety collaboration after accident figures rose sharply in 2024 despite long-term improvements in air travel safety.
According to ICAO’s 2025 Edition Safety Report – State of Global Aviation Safety, there were 95 accidents involving scheduled commercial flights last year, up from 66 in 2023.
Ten of those were fatal, claiming 296 lives compared to 72 the year before. The global accident rate climbed to 2.56 per million departures, from 1.87 in 2023, even as traffic reached a record 37 million departures worldwide.
“Aviation remains the safest form of transport, and the long-term trend demonstrates continuous improvement,” said ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar, alongside ICAO Council President Salvatore Sciacchitano. “The figures from 2024 are a tragic and timely reminder that sustained, collective action is necessary to keep advancing toward ICAO’s goal of zero fatalities in commercial air transport. ICAO will reinforce its advocacy and support for robust safety management, innovation, and international collaboration towards this goal.”
The report identified four high-risk categories that together accounted for a quarter of all fatalities and 40% of fatal accidents: controlled flight into terrain, loss of control in flight, mid-air collisions, and runway incursions. Turbulence was also highlighted as a growing hazard, causing nearly three-quarters of all serious injuries.
ICAO said it is implementing targeted initiatives, including global runway safety plans, improved turbulence monitoring systems, and enhanced measures to protect Global Navigation Satellite Systems from spoofing and jamming. Updated navigation manuals, new protective frameworks, and stronger civil-military coordination are also part of its risk-mitigation strategy.
The organisation is further advancing accident and wildlife strike reporting systems to enable more data-driven safety interventions and is developing regulatory frameworks for emerging technologies such as unmanned aircraft and advanced air mobility vehicles.
Regionally, Asia-Pacific and Europe/North Atlantic each recorded three fatal accidents in 2024, while South America reported one fatal crash that claimed 62 lives.
The Asia-Pacific region had the highest total fatalities, followed by South America and Europe/North Atlantic.
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