0 March 2026 (Geneva) – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released its 2025 Annual Safety Report demonstrating a solid year of safety performance with the following highlights:
‘Flying is the safest form of long-distance travel. Accidents are extremely rare and each one reminds us to be even more focused on continuous improvement through global standards and collaboration guided by safety data. The result of that effort is clear in how the five-year rolling average rate for fatal accidents has improved. A decade ago, the rate stood at one fatal accident for every 3.5 million flights (2012-2016). Today, it is one fatal accident for every 5.6 million flights (2021-2025). Flying is so safe that even one accident among the nearly 40 million flights operated annually moves the global data. Every accident is, of course, one too many. The goal for aviation remains zero accidents and zero fatalities,’ said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
‘Airport infrastructure and runway environments play a critical role in accident outcomes. In several events, rigid obstacles near runways increased accident severity, likely turning otherwise survivable occurrences into fatal ones. All airports and regulators should continuously review runway safety areas and the structures near runways for compliance with global safety standards,’ said Walsh.
All Accident Safety Performance by Region of Carrier Registration
The proliferation of conflict zones is driving significant rerouting and operational complexity. In some regions, military activity has occurred in or near flight corridors. The latest reminder of this is the significant disruptions that have occurred with the outbreak of war between the US/Israel and Iran. Close coordination between military and civil authorities is essential to ensure the safe operations of civil aircraft.
When conflict zones present risks that cannot be mitigated, states are responsible for restricting or closing airspace in a timely, transparent, and coordinated manner. It is essential that the process of closing and eventually to re-opening airspace remains focused on safety and security parameters and is not politicized. Moreover, clear, consistent, and professionally communicated Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) and risk advisories are critical information for airlines to consider when conducting their own risk assessments in support of safe and efficient flight operations.
‘Civil aircraft must never be placed at risk from military activity—deliberately or accidentally. When tensions rise, governments must share timely risk information, ensure effective civil-military coordination, restrict airspace where needed, and provide airlines with sufficient information for their own risk assessments. Whether closing or re-opening airspace, safety depends on transparency, facts, and coordination,’ said Walsh.
Incidents of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) interference capable of misleading aircraft navigation systems have risen sharply in recent years. IATA’s Incident Data eXchange indicates that reported jamming events in 2025 increased by 67% compared to 2023 while reported GPS spoofing incidents rose by 193%.
‘GNSS interference events are deeply concerning. Airlines rely on GNSS for safe and efficient flight operations. While system redundancies support safe operations in the face of these deliberate acts, immediate steps by governments and air navigation service providers are needed to improve situational awareness and enhance mitigation tools for pilots. Ultimately, the practice of GNSS interference must be stopped. Anything less is both unacceptable and irresponsible,’ said Walsh.
Accident investigation reports that are delayed, incomplete, or unpublished withhold valuable safety insights that can improve safety. IATA’s analysis of investigations conducted between 2019 and 2023 indicates that only 63% of accident reports were completed in line with state obligations under the Chicago Convention. Because investigations routinely take more than one year to finalize, a five‑year dataset ending in 2023 provides an accurate view of global performance.
Investigations are the responsibility of the states in which accidents or incidents have occurred. When grouped regionally, significant variations in completion rates are noted. The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) recorded the highest completion rate (81%), followed by North America (78%), Europe (75%), Asia-Pacific (68%), North Asia (67%), Middle East and North Africa (67%), Latin America and the Caribbean (60%), and Africa (19%).
‘Accident investigation helps us improve safety, but many reports are not published in a timely, complete, or accessible way. Some are not made public while others lack clear recommendations. Annex 13 of the Chicago Convention is clear about state obligations. While compliance with this obligation is improving, anything less than 100% shortchanges everyone on opportunities to improve. Where accident investigation capacity is the challenge, coordinated global support to strengthen investigation capabilities is needed,’ said Walsh.
To support transparency and strengthen industry-wide safety learning, IATA has established a centralized platform that consolidates safety recommendations from final investigation reports into a single global repository. This improves access to critical safety insights, enables data-driven analysis, and supports industry efforts to prevent similar events in the future.