The number of commercial air transport accidents and fatal accidents worldwide both declined in 2014, but fatalities suffered in these operations tripled, reversing a three-year downward trend, according to statistics released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in March.1 The number of commercial flights increased roughly 5 percent last year to 38 million from 36.2 million in 2013, IATA said.
The number of accidents declined to 73 last year from 81 in 2013, and the number of fatal accidents decreased to 12 from 16 (Figure 1). Both numbers also represent declines of 86 and 19, respectively, from the five-year averages for the 2009–2013 period. The number of fatalities, however, rose to 641 from 210 in 2013 (Figure 2). The average total for fatalities was 517 for the years 2009 through 2013.
