The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has released its 2024 Annual Safety Review (ASR), revealing a positive trend in safety performance in 2023, with a significant decrease in fatal accidents and fatalities.
In 2023, European airports welcomed 2.3 billion passengers, a 19% increase from the previous year, with traffic reaching 95% of pre-COVID levels. Globally, there were only two fatal accidents, resulting in 77 fatalities, the second-lowest fatality count in the decade.
“While this is clearly positive news, this result was only achieved by the entire industry focusing on safety as a priority. There is no room for complacency in aviation safety,” EASA emphasized.
The report highlights the ongoing impact of the geopolitical landscape on aviation safety, including rduced airspace availability and manipulation of global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signals. The Tokyo Haneda Airport runway collision in January 2023 underscored the need for improved runway safety measures.
Despite these challenges, European operators achieved 7.3 million safe flights in 2023, with no fatal accidents involving complex and non-complex aeroplanes. However, there were 94 accident and serious-incident occurrences, emphasizing the need for continued vigilance and improvement in safety risk management.
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The 2024 ASR includes a new chapter on unmanned aircraft system (UAS) / drone safety performance, reflecting the growing importance of this sector. The report’s findings will inform the European Plan for Aviation Safety (EPAS), driving decision-making and mitigation actions to address identified risks.
