For the first time in 15 years, the worldwide commercial airline industry recorded no runway/taxiway excursion accidents in 2021, according to data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The data, included in IATA’s airline safety performance data for 2021, also show strong improvement in several elements of the industry’s safety record in 2021, with reductions in the total number of accidents and fatalities and in the overall accident rate.
For purposes of this report, IATA defined an accident as an event in which four criteria were satisfied:
- People (either crewmembers or passengers, or both) have boarded “with the intention of flight.”
- The flight is intended for “normal commercial aviation activities, specifically scheduled/charter passenger or cargo service. Executive jet operations, training, maintenance/test flights are all excluded.”
- The aircraft is turbine-powered, with a certificated maximum takeo…
