A Statistical Analysis
of Commercial Aircraft
Accidents 1958-2023
The number one priority of Airbus is the continued safe transport of everyone and everything that flies aboard an Airbus product. No accident is ever acceptable. That is why, when accidents do unfortunately occur, Airbus does its utmost to learn from what happened and takes whatever actions are necessary to improve safety. This resource on accident statistics is part of that effort, by sharing the Airbus analysis of the historical aspects and current status of aviation safety for commercial jet aircraft.
This analysis clearly demonstrates that our industry has achieved huge improvements in safety, especially over the last two decades. It also underlines the significant contribution technology has made in ensuring that taking a flight in a commercial jet aircraft is a low-risk activity.
Accident Statistics
Generations of Jet
Analysis of the evolution of technology and how this helped improve aviation safety
FATAL ACCIDENTS
Analysis of fatal accident rates related to events in which one or more people is fatally injured
HULL LOSSES
Analysis of hull loss events in which an aircraft is destroyed or damaged beyond economic repair
Traffic and Accidents in 2023
The industry observed a significant recovery in air traffic in 2023, reaching more than 32 million flights, on average around 20% more compared with 2022.
The industry experienced a robust recovery with strong traffic leading to an increase in air travel and cargo demand compared with the previous three years. There were no fatal accidents and no hull losses recorded in 2023.
On January 2, 2024, a runway collision occurred between two aircraft. Six people were onboard the Dash-8 turboprop aircraft, with five fatalities. All passengers and crew members onboard the A350 aircraft were safely evacuated. The exact circumstances of this event are still unknown at time of this publication. Since this accident occurred in 2024 this event has not been considered in current analysis, and will be taken into account in next year’s publication.
Even if 2023 was a year with no commercial jet fatal accidents, the accident that occurred early in 2024 reinforces the need to avoid the trap of complacency and to be permanently vigilant in the reinforcement of all the safety barriers to avoid an accident. It is important to consider that the statistics in one year are not always indicative of the overall safety trends. This statistical analysis of commercial aviation accidents uses accident rates calculated as a 10-year moving average to provide a more consistent comparison across industry recovery and growth and cycles.
