2007 a safe year for air travel
Last year was one of the safest in aviation history, with the lowest number of crashes in 44 years.
There were 136 serious accidents in 2007, down from 164 crashes the previous year, the Aircraft Crashes Record Office (ACRO) said.
The figure is the lowest since 1963, although some accidents were still under review by insurance companies, ACRO said in a statement.
The Geneva-based organization said 965 people died in plane crashes in 2007 — a drop of 25% from the previous year.
Meanwhile, preliminary estimates by the International Civil Aviation Organization show air travel increased by over 3% in 2007 to about 2.2 billion passengers.
Almost a third of all crashes last year occurred in North America, with 34 accidents in the US alone, ACRO said.
However, the number of people killed in airline accidents in the US dropped from 75 in 2006 to 66 last year, according to a tally of incidents listed on the ACRO website.
Ronan Hubert, ACRO’s director, said aviation in general was becoming safer every year but that some countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, and Colombia, were slower to improve airline safety.
Most crashes involved small, propeller-powered planes, ACRO said. Larger, jet-powered planes accounted for only a quarter of accidents, but carried the highest fatality figures because of the greater number of passengers.
Report by David Wilkening
David
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent