Air India plane crash in 2025. Photo: Shutterstock The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has published its annual safety report for 2025, indicating a stable year in terms of flight safety worldwide, but with an increase in fatalities in air accidents.
According to the data, the overall accident rate in 2025 was 1.32 accidents per million flights, or one accident for every 759,646 flights. This is an improvement over the 1.42 rate recorded in 2024, but slightly higher than the average for the past five years of 1.27.
In total, there were 51 accidents out of 38.7 million commercial flights worldwide in 2025. For comparison, in 2024, authorities recorded 54 accidents out of 37.9 million flights. The average for the past five years is 44 accidents per year.
However, the number of fatal accidents increased slightly. There were eight fatal accidents in 2025, compared to seven in 2024 and an average of six over the past five years. The number of fatalities in these accidents reached 394 people, compared to 244 in 2024 and an average of 198 over the past few years.
The report notes that the most common types of accidents in 2025 were tail-on-runway impacts, landing gear incidents, runway excursions, and ground damage. These figures highlight the importance of safe procedures during takeoff, landing, and ground operations.
Another notable statistic is that in 2025, no accidents involving loss of control in the air, which are considered one of the main causes of fatal accidents, were recorded. This is only the second time in the last decade that such a statistic has been recorded.
The report also noted that airport facilities were a significant factor in incidents, including hard obstacles near runways, inadequate marking and lighting, and runway contamination.
The organization also notes that airlines in the IOSA safety audit program have a significantly lower accident rate than those that do not participate. The accident rate among these companies was 0.98 accidents per million flights, compared to 2.55 for companies that are not part of the program.
The report also warns of new challenges to aviation safety. Among other things, it notes the increase in the number of conflict zones worldwide, leading to alternative flight routes and greater operational complexity. An example of this is the disruptions that occurred following the outbreak of war between the US and Israel and Iran.
Another area of concern is interference with satellite navigation systems. According to IATA, there was a 67% increase in navigation signal jamming incidents in 2025 and a 193% increase in GPS signal spoofing incidents compared to 2023.