Air travel has become safer, as the risk of death due to aviation accidents has halved every decade since the late 1960s, according to a study conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) published on Thursday. Between 2018 and 2022, the aviation accident death rate was one fatality for every 13.7 million passengers worldwide, compared to one fatality for every 7.9 million passengers between 2008 and 2017, and one fatality for every 350,000 passengers between 1968 and 1977.
Arnold Barnett, a professor at MIT and a co-author of the study published in the "Journal of Air Transport Management," stated, "The safety of air travel continues to improve." Between 1978 and 1987, the rate was one death for every 750,000 passengers, and between 1988 and 1997, it became one death for every 1.3 million; then one death for every 2.7 million between 1998 and 2007.
However, Barnett noted that progress is not guaranteed. The last major air accident on U.S. soil occurred in 2009, when a Bombardier plane operated by Colgan Air crashed while en route from New York to Buffalo, killing all 49 passengers on board. Recently recorded incidents, in which pilots narrowly avoided collisions on U.S. runways, have made headlines, while Boeing has found itself in crisis again after an emergency exit cover detached mid-flight on an Alaska Airlines flight using a 737 Max 9.
Researchers in the study also highlighted differences based on countries. The safest countries in this regard include the United States, EU countries, Montenegro, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, China, Israel, Japan, and New Zealand. The second tier includes Bahrain, Bosnia, Brazil, Brunei, Chile, Hong Kong, India, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, and the UAE. Although the risks of aviation are higher in the remaining countries classified in the third tier, they have also been halved during the 2018-2022 period.
