International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO): Global Aviation Safety Status

List of Key Chapter Titles

1. Milestones in Improving Aviation Safety over Eighty Years
2. Safety Trends and Accident Statistics & Analysis – Regular Commercial Air Transport
3. Global High-Risk Category Accidents
4. Regional Accident Statistics
5. Global Enhanced Aviation Safety Initiatives or Success Stories
6. Regional Enhanced Aviation Safety Initiatives or Success Stories
7. ICAO Accident/Incident Data Reporting System
8. Enhancing Wildlife Strike Reporting
9. Implementation of the Global Aeronautical Distress and Safety System
10. Safety Management Implementation Support Activities
11. The Role of Regional Cooperation in Aviation Safety
12. Global Status of Effective Implementation of State Safety Oversight Systems

Document Introduction

The "2025 Global Aviation Safety Status" report published by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is a special edition safety report issued on the occasion of the organization's 80th anniversary. The report aims to review safety trends over the past six years, analyze accident statistics for 2024, and showcase key initiatives and successful experiences in enhancing aviation safety globally and regionally. The report is based on information provided by ICAO Member States through the Accident/Incident Data Reporting (ADREP) system, which has been reviewed and validated by the ICAO Occurrence Validation Study Group (OVSG) using the ADREP taxonomy and the Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST)/ICAO Common Taxonomy Team (CICTT) classification standards, ensuring data reliability and analytical professionalism.

The core section of the report provides a safety overview of global regular commercial air transport in 2024 (involving aircraft with a certified maximum take-off weight exceeding 5,700 kg). Data shows a significant recovery in air transport volume in 2024, with passenger traffic reaching 4.528 billion, surpassing pre-pandemic (2019) levels; the number of flight movements exceeded 37.09 million, approaching 2019 levels. However, safety indicators showed fluctuations, with a total of 95 accidents occurring throughout the year, of which 10 were fatal accidents, resulting in 296 fatalities. The global accident rate was 2.56 accidents per million departures, an increase from 2023 but still below the 2019 level. The report details the distribution of accidents, fatal accidents, and fatalities by ICAO Regional Office jurisdiction, with the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region accounting for the highest proportion of fatalities.

The report provides an in-depth analysis of the category distribution of accidents in 2024. Data shows that Turbulence Encounter (TURB) was the category with the highest number of accidents, followed by Abnormal Runway Contact (ARC) and Ramp (RAMP) related accidents. From the perspective of fatal accidents and fatalities, Loss of Control In-flight (LOC-I) and Bird Strike (BIRD) related accidents were the primary causes. The report further confirms the five Global High-Risk Categories (G-HRCs) identified in the Global Aviation Safety Plan (GASP): Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT), Loss of Control In-flight (LOC-I), Mid-Air Collision (MAC), Runway Excursion (RE), and Runway Incursion (RI). These five categories collectively accounted for 25% of fatalities and 40% of fatal accidents in 2024.

Beyond statistical data, the report dedicates significant space to outlining the global and regional initiatives promoted by ICAO and its partners to address current and emerging safety challenges. These initiatives cover a wide range of topics, including addressing Global Navigation Satellite System Radio Frequency Interference (GNSS RFI), enhancing civil-military cooperation to optimize airspace management, developing aviation meteorological services to address turbulence risks, safely integrating Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)/Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), continuously strengthening runway safety, focusing on personnel health promotion and mental well-being, emphasizing the importance of timely release of accident investigation reports, upgrading accident reporting systems, enhancing wildlife strike reporting, and implementing the Global Aeronautical Distress and Safety System (GADSS), among others. The report also outlines ICAO's key activities and progress in supporting states in implementing safety management, strengthening regional safety cooperation, and monitoring the effective implementation status of State Safety Oversight Systems through the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP).

The appendix section of the report provides a detailed list of 2024 accidents by location, ICAO regional country divisions, and complete definitions of CICTT accident categories, offering a solid foundation for professionals to conduct in-depth data mining and analysis. Overall, this report is not only an authoritative record of global aviation safety performance in 2024 but also a crucial strategic document guiding the industry's future risk mitigation and continuous safety improvement.