Air accident deaths halved last year
The number of people killed in airplane accidents almost halved last year, according to the International Air Transport Association.
There were 210 fatalities from commercial passenger jet accidents, down from 414 in 2012.
However, the accident rate of 0.41, the equivalent of one for every 2.4 million flights for western-built jets was higher than in 2012, when the rate was 0.21.
One of the most high-profile accidents last year was the crash landing of an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 at San Francisco airport, which killed three of the 307 onboard.
Looked at over a five-year period from 2009, there was a 14% improvement.
"The aviation industry is united in its commitment to ensure continuous safety improvement," said IATA director general Tony Tyler.
"Importantly, that commitment has made flying ever safer. Accidents, however rare, do happen. We release this data as the world continues to focus on the search effort for MH370.
"The airline industry, its stakeholders and regulators are in the beginning of the journey to unravel this mystery, understand the cause and find ways to ensure that it never happens again."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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