The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has expressed concern over high accident rates in Africa.

This is coming as the industry delivered another year of strong overall performance on safety including showing improvements on the five-year average for several key parameters, but it took a step back from an exceptional performance in 2023.

With 10 accidents in 2024, the all-accident rate rose from 8.36 per million sectors in 2023 to 10.59 in 2024, exceeding the five-year average of 8.46 according to the clearing house for 340 global airlines.

According to the group, Africa (Africa-Indian Ocean Region AFI) recorded the highest accident rate, though the fatality risk remained at zero for the second year in a row.

The downing of two aircraft in conflict zones (Kazakhstan with 38 fatalities and Sudan with five fatalities) has reinforced the importance of the Safer Skies initiative, established in the aftermath of the PS752 tragedy to facilitate safeguards in high-risk airspace.

The most common accident types in 2024 were runway excursions, followed by those related to landing gear. Forty percent of all accidents involving AFI-based operators were on turboprop aircraft.

Through the IATA Focus Africa initiative, the Collaborative Aviation Safety Improvement Programme (CASIP) continues to mobilize resources to address key safety challenges.

With 12 accidents, the all-accident rate in North America improved from 1.53 per million sectors in 2023 to 1.20 in 2024 and was better than the region’s fiveyear average of 1.26.

Fatality risk has remained zero since 2020. The most common accident types in 2024 were tail strikes, followed by runway damage and runway excursions.