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Flying Got Safer Last Year Almost Everywhere Except Russia
- Fatalities are near historic lows as manufacturing improves
- Boeing’s fuselage mishap has put focus on risk of flying again
Russian investigators beside an Ural Airlines Airbus A320 jet after an emergency field landing, in 2023.
Photographer: Vladimir Nikolayev/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Flying further improved its safety record last year, extending a long-term trend that’s set to to continue despite quality lapses at Boeing Co. and maintenance setbacks in Russia, where sanctions have put decades of progress at risk.
There were 124 fatalities worldwide aboard passenger jets in 2023, the fewest in any year other than 2017, based on data compiled by Jacdec, a German consulting firm that tracks aviation safety. Hull losses, where aircraft are damaged beyond repair, totaled 45, a 12% improvement from 2022.