Air traffic increased in 2025, with around 35.2 million flights recorded. This figure represents an increase of approximately 4% compared with 2024.

The industry continued to experience a robust recovery with strong traffic, compared with the previous years.

2025 began with two events in January. A fire broke out on an A321 while it was on the ground. Although the aircraft was destroyed by the flames, all 176 people were safely evacuated. A fatal mid-air collision occurred between a CRJ700 aircraft and a military helicopter. All 67 people on board both aircraft lost their lives, including the 64 passengers and crew on the aeroplane and three crew on the helicopter.

In February, a CRJ-900 was destroyed following a severe hard landing; all 80 people on board were safely evacuated.

In June, a B787-800 crashed shortly after takeoff due to a loss of engine thrust, resulting in 260 fatalities (241 on board,19 on the ground). The cause remains under investigation at the time of publishing and is not yet classified. This event is, therefore, not considered in this statistical analysis.

In October, a B747-400 cargo was destroyed when it veered off the runway during landing, killing two people in a ground vehicle.

In November, a fatal accident of an MD-11 cargo aircraft occurred during takeoff, resulting in the deaths of all three crew members and eleven people on the ground. In the same month, an Embraer ERJ-145LR suffered a runway excursion at landing. All passengers and crew were safely evacuated, however, the aircraft was declared as a hull loss after being consumed by fire.

This statistical analysis recorded six hull losses, three of which were accidents with fatalities.

The accidents that occurred throughout 2025 underscore the importance of continuous safety improvements and rigorous investigation protocols. Their outcome must be implemented once turned into existing solutions. Managing safety risks and ensuring organisational resilience requires adhering to the industry’s fundamental principles, while collaborating on innovative solutions.

It is noted that safety statistics from a single year may not accurately reflect long-term trends. Therefore, this statistical analysis of commercial aviation accidents uses accident rates based on a 10-year moving average.