In 2023, commercial aviation logged 37.7 million flights worldwide and recorded only two fatal accidents involving passenger jets, for a fatal accident rate of 0.05 per million flights. That low headline rate masks where risk clusters within operations, because fatal outcomes align with specific phases of flight and incident pathways. Comparing overall frequency with when those failures occur helps explain why safety gains come from targeted procedures, not just higher flying volumes.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, commercial aviation recorded 37.7 million flights worldwide with only 2 fatal accidents involving passenger jets, yielding a fatal accident rate of 0.05 per million flights
- Flying safer than car by 100x: 1 death per 7M miles plane vs 1 per 5K car
- In 2022, worldwide commercial aviation fatalities totaled 158 from 5 accidents
- Loss of control in flight (LOC-I) caused 11% of fatal accidents 2005-2014
- Airline A: Qantas has safest record with 0 jet fatalities in 63 years
Plane crashes are rare, and improving safety measures continues to reduce risk for travelers worldwide.
Related reading
01 · Category
Accident Frequency30 stats
01
In 2023, commercial aviation recorded 37.7 million flights worldwide with only 2 fatal accidents involving passenger jets, yielding a fatal accident rate of 0.05 per million flights
02
From 2014 to 2023, the global jet hull loss rate was 0.41 per million departures, the lowest 10-year average in history
03
US commercial aviation had zero fatal accidents in 2023 across 10.6 million departures, maintaining a 15-year streak without fatalities since 2009
04
Between 2008 and 2017, the worldwide rate of accidents for commercial jet airplanes was 0.93 per million departures
05
In Europe, the fatal accident rate for commercial air transport in 2022 was 0.06 per million flight cycles
06
From 2013-2022, Airbus aircraft experienced 0.31 fatal accidents per million flight cycles globally
07
The accident rate for Western-built jets in 2022 was 1.12 per million flights, down from 1.30 in 2021
08
In 2021, there were 4 fatal accidents worldwide out of 32.2 million commercial flights, rate of 0.12 per million
09
Australia's commercial aviation fatal accident rate from 2013-2022 was 0.03 per million sectors
10
From 1945-2023, total commercial airliner hull losses number 2,149 out of over 1 billion flights
11
In 2022, the US Part 121 accident rate was 0.18 per 100,000 flight hours
12
Global turboprop accident rate 2018-2022 averaged 1.25 per million flights
13
EASA member states reported 0.46 accidents per million flight hours in 2022 for commercial ops
14
From 2010-2019, China’s commercial jet accident rate was 0.55 per million departures
15
In 2020, despite COVID, zero fatal jet accidents in IATA member airlines
16
Brazil's ANAC reported 0.11 fatal accidents per million takeoffs in 2022
17
From 2000-2022, Ryanair had 0 fatal accidents in over 150 million flights
18
Global helicopter accident rate 2019-2023: 3.2 per 100,000 hours
19
In 2023, no fatal accidents for Boeing 737 MAX worldwide since recertification
20
Europe's 2023 fatal accident rate for fixed-wing ops: 0.04 per million flights
21
From 2018-2027 projection, accident rate expected to fall to 0.8 per million departures
22
US general aviation accident rate 2022: 4.07 per 100,000 flight hours
23
In 2022, Asia-Pacific jet accident rate: 0.92 per million departures
24
From 1942-2022, total US air carrier fatal accidents: 1,321
25
ICAO global accident rate 2022: 1.49 per million departures for all ops
26
Southwest Airlines: 0 fatal accidents in 50+ years, over 50 million flights
27
In 2023, Middle East/North Africa jet hull loss rate: 0.00 per million flights
28
Global business jet accident rate 2022: 1.04 per 100,000 hours
29
From 2014-2023, LATAM airlines region accident rate: 0.24 per million flights
30
2022 Canadian commercial accident rate: 0.35 per 100,000 hours
Interpretation
Accident Frequency Interpretation
These statistics overwhelmingly prove you are in far greater danger being tragically bored by the safety briefing than you are from the flight itself.
02 · Category
Comparative Safety25 stats
01
Flying safer than car by 100x: 1 death per 7M miles plane vs 1 per 5K car
02
Plane fatality rate 0.07/million miles vs car 7.3/million
03
Train: 0.04/million passenger miles vs plane 0.07, nearly equal
04
Motorcycle 212x more dangerous than plane per mile
05
Bus: 0.11/million miles vs plane 0.07, plane safer
06
Walking: 40.5 deaths/million miles vs aviation 0.07
07
Commercial plane vs private plane: 1 in 2.9M departures fatal vs 1 in 51K
08
Plane vs bicycle: aviation 1,000x safer per trip
09
US airline safer than driving: 9.7B miles flown 2022, 0 deaths
10
Elevator safer than plane: 1 in 10M lifetime odds vs plane 1 in 11M per flight
11
Plane vs ferry/boat: aviation 50x lower fatality rate per passenger mile
12
Scooter/moped 100x riskier than commercial flight
13
Plane vs train in Europe: air 0.08 vs rail 0.10 fatalities/million pax-km
14
Lifetime odds plane crash death 1:9,821 vs car 1:107
15
GA flying 20x riskier than commercial airlines
16
Plane safer than taxi: 1.5/million miles taxi vs 0.07 air
17
Vs shark attack: 1 in 3.7M swims vs 1 in 11M flights
18
Commercial jet vs crop duster: 1,000x safer per hour
19
Air travel vs lightning strike: 1 in 15K lifetime lightning vs 1:982K air crash
20
Plane vs horseback riding: equestrian 1 in 1M hours vs plane 1 in 100M
21
International flights safer than domestic: 0.09 vs 0.18/million 2022
22
Vs skydiving: plane 1 in 11M vs skydive 1 in 100K jumps
23
Airline vs charter: scheduled 10x safer than nonscheduled ops
24
Plane safer than escalator: 0.3/million trips escalator vs 0.00009 air
25
Vs vending machine falling over: 1 in 112 lifetime vs plane crash 1:5,000 lifetime
Interpretation
Comparative Safety Interpretation
While your car is statistically a rolling deathtrap compared to a plane, you can take some comfort in knowing that your next flight is roughly as safe as your average elevator ride, dramatically safer than a bicycle trip, and only marginally riskier than a train, though it remains infinitely more terrifying than being slowly crushed by a rogue vending machine.
03 · Category
Fatality Statistics26 stats
01
In 2022, worldwide commercial aviation fatalities totaled 158 from 5 accidents
02
Odds of dying in a plane crash: 1 in 11 million per flight vs 1 in 5,000 for car
03
From 2000-2019, average annual aviation fatalities: 479 globally
04
US airlines: 0 fatalities in scheduled passenger ops since Feb 2009, over 18 billion passenger miles
05
2023 global fatalities from airliner accidents: 130, lowest in decades
06
Survival rate in survivable plane crashes: 95.7% from 1983-2000 NTSB study
07
From 1970-2022, total commercial jet fatalities: ~55,000 out of billions boarded
08
In 2021, 176 fatalities from single deadliest crash (PS752), rest of year zero
09
European commercial aviation fatalities 2013-2022: average 50 per year
10
Boeing 737 series: 5,779 fatalities over 50 years across 200+ hull losses
11
From 2010-2020, Africa had 1,200 aviation fatalities, highest regional rate
12
US general aviation: 1,225 fatalities in 2022
13
Post-9/11, US commercial fatalities near zero except Colgan 3407 (50 dead)
14
Global 2020 fatalities: 299, mostly military/cargo, 0 passenger jet
15
Survival probability in crashes 2000-2019: 82% for major accidents
16
Qantas: 0 fatalities in jet era (1958-2024)
17
From 1945-2023, total airliner crash fatalities: 57,142
18
2022 saw 158 fatalities, 97% from one Nepal crash
19
Airline passenger fatality risk per boarding: 0.07 per million 2018-2022
20
In survivable accidents 1980-2020, occupant fatality rate 5-10%
21
LATAM region 2022 fatalities: 0 in commercial passenger ops
22
From 2019-2023, Asia-Pacific fatalities averaged 120/year
23
US air carrier fatalities 2013-2022: 0 in scheduled ops
24
Global turboprop fatalities 2022: 45 from 3 accidents
25
99.999% of flights end safely, equating to <1 fatality per 10 million boardings
26
From 2009-2023, 0 US airline passenger fatalities in 100+ million flights
Interpretation
Fatality Statistics Interpretation
Statistically speaking, you have a better chance of being struck by a spectacularly unlikely series of events than dying in a plane crash, as modern commercial aviation has refined survival into a near certainty despite the catastrophic drama of its rare failures.
More related reading
04 · Category
Incident Causes26 stats
01
Loss of control in flight (LOC-I) caused 11% of fatal accidents 2005-2014
02
Runway excursions account for 32% of all commercial accidents 2011-2020
03
Controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) 21% of fatal accidents pre-2000, reduced by 70% with tech
04
System/component failure 18% of accidents 2015-2022
05
Bird strikes cause 70% of wildlife incidents, leading to 0.01% accidents
06
Weather (icing/thunderstorms) factor in 23% of fatal US accidents 1980-2020
07
Human error involved in 80% of aviation accidents per NTSB
08
Runway incursion risk reduced 75% with ASDE-X, causes 5% incidents
09
Engine failure primary cause in 12% hull losses 1990-2020
10
Loss of pressurization rare, cause <1% accidents, handled by auto systems
11
Terrain avoidance warning system prevents 55% potential CFIT
12
Fuel exhaustion 7% of GA accidents, <1% commercial
13
TCAS RA compliance prevents 90% mid-air collision risks
14
Windshear microbursts cause 1% but 30% fatal runway crashes historically
15
Maintenance errors contribute to 15% incidents, per EASA data 2022
16
In-flight fire rare, 0.1% accidents, improved by halon alternatives
17
Wake turbulence 4% of near-misses, zero fatal commercial since 1986
18
Pilot fatigue factor in 15-20% serious incidents
19
Volcanic ash encounters: 0 hull losses due to engine design redundancies
20
Cargo shift/load issues 2% accidents, regulated by weight/balance rules
21
icing conditions cause 6.5% accidents, mitigated by boots/de-icing
22
GPS jamming/spoofing emerging threat, caused 0 accidents but 500+ incidents 2022
23
Bird ingestion led to US Airways 1549 ditching, sole engine failure case
24
Runway overrun due to wet runway/aquaplaning 50% of excursions
25
Spatial disorientation 10% night accidents
26
Cybersecurity threats: 0 successful hacks causing accidents
Interpretation
Incident Causes Interpretation
While technology has admirably tamed the once-dominant killers like CFIT, the persistent and witty ghost in the machine remains the human at the controls, who, when paired with a wet runway or a tired brain, still writes most of aviation's unlucky headlines.
05 · Category
Safety Records by Airline/Region28 stats
01
Airline A: Qantas has safest record with 0 jet fatalities in 63 years
02
Airline B: Finnair 0 fatal crashes in 100 years
03
Region: North America jet hull loss rate 2014-2023: 0.00 per million departures
04
Airline C: Ryanair 0 fatalities in 40 years, 1 billion passengers
05
Region: Europe 2023 risk index: 0.06 fatalities per million boardings
06
Airline D: Emirates 0 fatal passenger incidents since 1985
07
Region: Australia/New Zealand 2013-2022: 0 fatal turboprop accidents
08
Airline E: Hawaiian Airlines 0 fatal accidents ever
09
Region: North Asia (China/Japan) accident rate 0.38/million 2019-2023
10
Airline F: EasyJet 0 hull losses in 25 years
11
Region: Middle East 2022: safest region with 0.00 fatal rate
12
Airline G: Southwest 0 passenger fatalities in 52 years
13
Region: CIS (Russia/Ukraine) higher rate 2.1/million 2014-2023
14
Airline H: Air New Zealand 0 fatal jet accidents since 1970
15
Region: Latin America 2023: 0.15 fatal accidents/million flights
16
Airline I: Virgin Australia 0 major incidents in 20 years
17
Region: Africa 2018-2022 average 4.2 accidents/million departures
18
Airline J: JetBlue 0 fatalities in 23 years
19
Region: Southeast Asia 2022: 1.2 hull losses/million
20
Airline K: Norwegian Air 0 fatal crashes since inception
21
Region: US domestic: safest with 0 fatal rate 14 years running
22
Airline L: SAS Scandinavian 0 passenger jet fatalities since 1954
23
Region: South Asia (India) 2023 rate: 0.45/million flights
24
Airline M: Allegiant Air perfect safety record no hull losses
25
Region: Central America/Caribbean 2019-2023: 0.8/million departures
26
Airline N: Icelandair 0 accidents in 80+ years
27
Region: Northeast Asia safest non-Western: 0.22/million 2022
28
Airline O: Frontier Airlines 0 major incidents 30 years
Interpretation
Safety Records by Airline/Region Interpretation
If you want a life insurance actuary to take up drinking, just show them the bewilderingly perfect safety records of modern aviation alongside the stubbornly persistent risk in some regions, which proves that while excellence can be engineered globally, consistent execution remains a geographical luxury.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Alexander Schmidt. (2026, February 13). Plane Safety Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/plane-safety-statistics
MLA
Alexander Schmidt. "Plane Safety Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/plane-safety-statistics.
Chicago
Alexander Schmidt. 2026. "Plane Safety Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/plane-safety-statistics.
Sources & references
57 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level