Air Transportation Accident

Primary reference(s)

United Nations, European Union and the International Transport Forum at the OECD, 2019. Glossary for transport statistics. 5th Edition. Accessed 27 January 2025.

Annotations

Key relevant UN convention / multilateral treaty

Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air, also known as the Montreal Convention, adopted in 1999 by ICAO member states (IATA, 1999; UN Treaty Collection, 1999).

Drivers

The ICAO lists the drivers of air accidents as being runway safety-related events, loss of control in flight, controlled flight into terrain, and malicious events (ICAO, 2019). According to statistics, up to 80% of all aviation accidents are attributed to human error. The most critical periods are during take-off, landing, and the moments surrounding these events. Pilot errors account for 53% of aviation accidents, followed by mechanical failures (21%) and weather conditions (11%) (Gunturkun, 2023). Airport proximity to dense urban areas and inadequate land use planning around airports can exacerbate risks related to aviation accidents, especially during take-off and landing phases which account for the majority of accidents.

Impacts

From 2022 to 2023, there was a 3.1% increase in the total number of accidents, as reported by States, noting that flight departures increased by around 13% during the same period of time. The global accident rate of 1.87 accidents per million departures in 2023 decreased by 17.9% from the 2022 rate of 2.05 accidents per million departures (ICAO, 2024) 

Multi-hazard context

The figure below summarises common interactions between air transportation accidents and other hazards. This information should be used with caution and not be solely relied upon in Disaster Risk Management, particularly as some interactions may not have been included. Note that hazardous events occurring together or locally in space or time may not necessarily cause, amplify, or be otherwise related to each other. Specific examples of multi-hazard context can be found in the ‘Hazard drivers’ and ‘Impacts’ sections above. 

Multi-hazard diagram

Air transportation is affected by cross-hazard interactions, such as volcanic ash clouds, for example, from the Eyjafjallajökull eruption in 2010, which caused airspace closures (NCAS, no date). In addition, during the COVID -19 pandemic, flights were reduced by 43% in 2020 compared to 2019 (Bielecki et al, 2020)

Risk Management

The ICAO describes the overall purpose of their Global Aviation Safety Plan (GASP) as being to guide the harmonized development of regional and state safety planning, supported by regional safety activities coordinated by the regional aviation safety groups (ICAO, 2022).  

The ICAO is coordinating an international effort to bring together expertise from such organizations as the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the Airports Council International (ACI) and other partners to assist in preparedness planning, not only for pandemic influenza but for other communicable diseases or other types of public health event that might cause a public health emergency (ICAO, no date). The ICAO has published guidelines for states concerning the management of communicable diseases posing a serious public health risk (ICAO, 2009). These guide- lines are generic, in that they are applicable to many communicable diseases, not only influenza, and can form the basis for the management of other types of public health events, such as a nuclear power plant explosion that may emit a radioactive plume that impinges on aircraft routes. They will continue to be modified as more information is gained on preparedness planning. They are based on the WHO International Health Regulations (WHO, 2016), .  

and use- planning around airports is crucial for minimizing the impact of aviation accidents by ensuring safety for both air and ground populations. It involves controlling land use within a defined area around the airport to reduce the risk of accidents and potential consequences. This includes zoning regulations, height restrictions, and population density controls to minimize potential casualties and damage from aviation incidents (FAA, 2022) 

Monitoring

ICAO's Aviation Weather Centers (AWCs) are facilities that provide aviation weather services, including forecasts and observations, to support safe and efficient air travel. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Weather Camera Program improves aviation safety and efficiency by providing pilots with near real-time visual weather data (FAA, 2025). NASA's Aviation Safety Program focuses on developing technologies related to weather information to reduce aviation accidents. The weather information system consists of three key elements: Weather Products, Data Distribution, and User Interface. High-precision weather information is generated using onboard sensors, ground-based systems, and satellite technologies. In collaboration with the FAA, the program aims to deliver weather observation data within 5 minutes and provide analysis and forecasts within 15 minutes through data links. Additionally, advanced weather radar technology is utilized to identify turbulence in the aircraft's flight path. In this system, atmospheric data is analysed to predict how the aircraft may react to specific conditions. The system presents a real-time assessment of risk levels to enhance situational awareness for pilots (Stough, 2000).

GIS-based monitoring systems can integrate multiple data sources to evaluate spatial risk patterns around airports. Studies, such as Septanaya et al. (2024), have demonstrated that integrating spatial planning with aviation safety monitoring can improve risk assessment and management.