Air crash deaths rise
More passengers died in air crashes last year than in 2015, but the International Air Transport Association insists that flying is getting safer.
There were 268 fatalities last year compared with 136 a year earlier, however, the losses in 2016 were significantly below the five-year average of 371.
In 2016 there were four fatal crashes involving passenger aircraft, compared with just two in 2015, but in the five years from 2011 to 2015 there was an average of 8.4 a year.
"Last year some 3.8 billion travellers flew safely on 40.4 million flights. The number of total accidents, fatal accidents and fatalities all declined versus the five-year average, showing that aviation continues to become safer, said IATA director general and CEO Alexandre de Juniac.
"We did take a step back on some key parameters from the exceptional performance of 2015; however, flying is still the safest form of long distance travel. And safety remains the top priority of all involved in aviation. The goal is for every flight to depart and arrive without incident. And every accident redoubles our efforts to achieve that."
Africa, which is one of the worst region’s in the world for air safety, had its best performance within the past decade, with no passenger fatalities and no jets written-off. In the previous five years, the region lost 2.5 jets a year.
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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