Air India, the flight with the most fatalities in recent history: what the flight safety data says
In 2024, the last year with complete data, the number of victims has increased: but in the long term, safety is growing
2' min read
2' min read
The plane that crashed in the Indian city of Ahmedabad with 242 people is only the latest in the long list of tragedies caused by air disasters in recent history, but certainly unique in terms of the number of victims, over 240.
According to the Iata (International Air Transport Association) Safety Report 2024/2025, seven fatal accidents occurred in 2024 out of a total of 40.6 million flights. This number is up on the single accident recorded in 2023 and also higher than the average of the last five years, which is five accidents per year. There were 244 fatalities on board, more than triple the 72 in 2023 and well above the five-year average of 144. Despite this, the fatality risk per passenger remained low: 0.06 per million flights. A figure still below the long-term average (0.10), although up from 2023, when it had been 0.03.
The most recent of these was on 29 January when a PSA Airlines 5342 aircraft, on approach to Washington-Reagan Airport, collided in flight with a military helicopter over the Potomac River, about half a mile from the runway. All 67 people on board died in the crash: 64 on the plane and three in the helicopter.
The most serious was the crash of Jeju Air flight 7C2216, a Boeing 737 800 that departed Bangkok and headed to Muan, South Korea. On 29 December 2024, the plane crashed on landing. Only two crew members survived. There were 179 fatalities.
Air safety improving, but Africa remains the area most at risk
Looking at the long-term trend, the aviation sector has made enormous progress in safety. The average accident rate on a five-year basis has fallen from 2.20 per million flights in the period 2011- 2015 to 1.25 in the five-year period 2020-2024. The average fatality risk has also halved: from 0.28 to 0.10 per million flights. On average, there have been about five fatal accidents per year over the last five years, with 144 annual fatalities among passengers and air transport operators.
