2025 IATA Annual Safety Report: Global Accident Rate Improves, but Fatalities and GNSS Interference Surge
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released its 2025 Annual Safety Report, revealing a global accident rate of 1.32 per million flights. Although this figure represents an improvement over the 1.42 recorded in 2024, the report highlights a worrying increase in the number of fatalities and a critical spike in satellite navigation interference.
Global Safety Performance Analysis
During 2025, 38.7 million flights were operated, recording a total of 51 accidents. This figure is lower than the 54 accidents occurred in 2024, although it remains above the five-year average (2021-2025) of 44 accidents.
| Safety Indicator | 2024 | 2025 | 5-Year Average |
| Accident Rate (per million flights) | 1.42 | 1.32 | 1.27 |
| Fatal Accidents | 7 | 8 | 6 |
| Onboard Fatalities | 244 | 394 | 198 |
| Fatality Risk | 0.06 | 0.17 | 0.12 |
The increase in the death toll is primarily attributed to two specific events: Air India flight 171 and PSA Airlines 5342, which together accounted for more than 77% of the lives lost in 2025.
Emerging Threats: GNSS Interference and Conflict Zones
One of the most critical points of the report is the drastic increase in interference with the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS).
- Jamming (Deliberate Interference): Reported events increased by 67% compared to 2023.
- GPS Spoofing (Signal Impersonation): Incidents grew by 193%.
Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, described these practices as “unacceptable and irresponsible,” urging governments to improve situational awareness and mitigation tools for pilots.
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Additionally, the proliferation of conflict zones (such as the recent confrontation between the US/Israel and Iran) has increased operational complexity, forcing flight reruns and demanding closer civil-military coordination to avoid putting civilian aircraft at risk.
Operational Milestones and Areas for Improvement
Despite the challenges, the industry achieved a significant milestone: for the second time in history (the previous time being in 2020), no accidents due to Loss of Control In-flight (LOC-I) were recorded, which is one of the deadliest categories in aviation.
Airport Infrastructure
The report indicates that airport facilities contributed to 16% of accidents in 2025. Walsh emphasized that the presence of rigid obstacles near runways turned otherwise survivable incidents into fatal accidents, calling for a review of Runway Safety Areas (RSA) under global standards.
Value of the IOSA Audit
Airlines enrolled in the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) demonstrated superior performance, with an accident rate of 0.98, compared to 2.55 for non-audited airlines. All IATA member airlines eligible for audit are already part of the IOSA registry.
Regional Performance
- Africa: Recorded the highest accident rate (7.86), although it improved compared to 2024. 71% of its accidents involved turboprop aircraft.
- Latin America and the Caribbean: Showed an improvement with a rate of 1.77 (down from 1.84 in 2024), with runway excursions being the most common type of accident.
- North America: The rate rose to 1.68, above its five-year average (1.33), with ground damage and tail strikes as frequent events.
- Middle East and North Asia: Both regions maintained a fatality risk of zero.
Lack of Transparency in Investigations
IATA expressed concern over the delay and lack of publication of official accident reports. Only 63% of accident reports between 2019 and 2023 were completed in accordance with the obligations of the Chicago Convention. In Africa, this figure drops to an alarming 19%, while the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) leads with 81% compliance.
To combat this lack of data, IATA has launched a centralized platform that consolidates safety recommendations from final reports to prevent future events.
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Un apasionado por la aviación, Fundador y CEO de Aviación al Día.