Global aviation accident rates improve 1: 2.7 m flights

One mishap occurred for every 2.7m flights in 2011, as against one for every 1.6m in 2010

Dubai: The 2011 accident rate for Western-built jets was the lowest in aviation history, surpassing the previous low set in 2010, aviation watchdog the International Air Transport Association said on Tuesday.

The 2011 global accident rate (measured in hull losses per million flights of Western-built jets) was 0.37, the equivalent of one accident every 2.7 million flights, a 39 per cent improvement over 2010, when the accident rate was 0.61, or one accident for every 1.6 million flights, the Geneva-based aviation trade body said in a statement. The global aircraft accident rate in 2011 was the lowest in aviation history."

On a global scale there were 92 accidents (all aircraft types, Eastern and Western built) in 2011, down from 94 in 2010, according to the IATA, resulting in 486 fatalities last year compared to 786 the previous year.

While most regions improved their accident rates, the Middle East and North Africa region saw it worsen to 2.02 in 2011 from 0.72 the previous year, according to IATA estimates