2016 set to be the safest year in aviation history

The crash of LaMia Airlines Flight 2933 near the Colombian city of Medellín will do little to allay the fears of nervous fliers. But, though it will come as no consolation to the friends and families of the 71 who perished this week, 2016 is set to be one of the safest years in aviation history. There has been a remarkably small number of air accidents this year - a testament to the stringent safety standards now in place around the world. Among 2016’s other high-profile tragedies was EgyptAir Flight 804 from Paris to Cairo, which disappeared in the Mediterranean in May, killing all 66 on board, and Flydubai Flight 981, which crashed during an aborted landing in Russia with the loss of 62 lives. According to the Aviation Safety Network, which keeps a database of all air travel incidents, there have been 16 fatal accidents in 2016, resulting in 272 deaths - down from 560 in 2015. Given that this year will see around 3.5b air passengers flown, that’s just one death per 12,867,647 travellers (or one per 128,676 departures). Only one year saw fewer deaths - 2013, with 265. But with 3.048b boarding a plane that year, according to the World Bank’s data, this amounts to more deaths per passenger: one per 11,501,886. By this measurement, though there is a month to go, 2016 could well prove to be the safest ever year for air travel.<br/>