The 2022 Safety Report, which presents a detailed analysis of global civil aviation safety performance for 2021 operations, shows that 2021 fatalities fell by 66 per cent against the number in 2020, though the number of accidents where fatalities occurred remained consistent at four.

Positive outcome

The Secretary General of ICAO, Juan Carlos Salazar, in the report released on August 19 said “These outcomes are very positive and encouraging, and reconfirm that air transport is the safest mode of transport even during the current global circumstances.”

“Scheduled commercial flight departures in 2021 increased by almost 11 per cent, but even despite these millions of more flights amidst restart and recovery resource shortages and the many other operational challenges facing airline and airport operators today, air transport’s collective and longstanding commitment to the safety, security and health of passengers and crew remains unwavering.

“The positive safety performance being seen system-wide is recognized in the 2022 Safety Report as being due in part to the pandemic response and recovery recommendations set out by the ICAO Council’s Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART),” he said.

Emerging trends

The 2022 Safety Report also stresses that in response to existing and emerging trends, ICAO is working in closer partnership today with the whole international aviation community to achieve future safety improvements.

Key emphasis is being placed on improving safety performance and reducing operational safety risk through improved standardization, implementation, and monitoring.

The 2022 edition of the ICAO Safety Report provides updates for the ICAO 2020-2022 Global Aviation Safety Plan (GASP) indicators linked to its ‘Goal 1’, which focuses on achieving a continuous global reduction of operational safety risks and related targets.