Rate of large-aircraft accidents declined further in 2023

The number of aviation accidents involving large Western-made commercial jets declined in 2023 – and none caused fatalities, the first time that has happened since Boeing started collecting safety data decades ago. Airlines globally suffered 11 accidents involving the Western aircraft types last year, down from 25 accidents the prior year, according to the latest version of the US manufacturer’s annual Statistical Summary of Commercial Jet Airplane Accidents. The report only indexes accidents through 2023, and the period of fatality-free operations of Western jets ended on 2 January this year, when a Japan Airlines Airbus A350-900 collided with a De Havilland Canada Dash 8-300 in Tokyo, killing five people on the turboprop. “Accident rates continue to decline to historic lows, despite air traffic nearly returning to pre-pandemic levels,” says Boeing vice-president of enterprise safety Elisabeth Martin. “2023 was one of the safest years on record.” Boeing’s safety report accounts for accidents involving Western-made jet aircraft weighing more than 27,216kg (60,000lb) – encompassing all Boeing and Airbus types and regional jets with at least 70 seats, but excluding turboprops. The 11 accidents last year neither caused fatalities nor total aircraft losses, according to Boeing. The world’s airlines operated 31.3m flights in 2023 – slightly fewer than they did in 2019 prior to the Covid-19 pandemic – equating to a 2023 accident rate of 0.35 per million flights.<br/>