More accidents but fewer fatalities

The International Air TransportAssociation (IATA) said that the total number of fatalities from aviation accidents dropped from 692in 2007 to 502 in 2008. This resulted in a 56% improvement in the fatality rate from 0.23 fatalities per million passengers to 0.13 per million passengers.

The global accident rate (measured in hull losses per million flights of Western-built jet aircraft) stood at 0.81-or one accident for every 1.2 million flights. This is a slight deterioration on 2007 performance when the accident rate was 0.75-or one accident for every 1.3 million flights.

There were 109 accidents in 2008 compared to 100 in 2007.

The number of fatal accidents increased from 20 in 2007 to 23 in 2008. IATA member airlines significantly outperformed the industry in safety.

With 33 accidents, IATA members drove their accident rate downwards from 0.68 in 2007 to 0.52 in 2008. That is equal to one accident for every 1.9 million flights.