Africa records highest aviation accident rate globally in 2025 – IATA

Africa recorded the highest aviation accident rate globally in 2025 despite an improvement in safety performance across the region.

This was disclosed in the 2025 Annual Safety Report released on Monday by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The report showed that Africa recorded seven accidents in 2025, with an all-accident rate of 7.86 per million sectors, down from 12.13 per million sectors in 2024, but still the highest among all global regions.

What they are saying   

Africa’s aviation safety performance improved in 2025, even though the region still recorded the highest accident rate globally, according to the report by the International Air Transport Association. The report noted that while accident rates declined compared with the previous year, fatality risks increased during the year.

• Africa recorded seven accidents in 2025, with the accident rate falling to 7.86 per million sectors, lower than 12.13 recorded in 2024 and below the five-year average of 9.37.
• Fatality risk increased from zero in 2024 to 2.19 in 2025, reflecting fatal incidents during the year.
• The most common accident types were runway excursions and “other end state” events, a category used when accidents cannot be clearly classified due to insufficient information.

71% of accidents involving Africa-based operators occurred with turboprop aircraft, highlighting operational and infrastructure challenges affecting these aircraft types.

IATA added that Africa accounts for the majority of “other end state” incidents recorded globally since 2018, pointing to the need for stronger compliance with accident investigation requirements under the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, particularly Annex 13 which governs aircraft accident investigations.

More insights

Globally, aviation safety performance improved slightly in 2025 as the overall accident rate declined even though fatalities increased compared with the previous year. The aviation industry recorded fewer accidents despite handling a higher number of flights during the year.

• The global all-accident rate improved to 1.32 per million flights in 2025, compared with 1.42 per million flights recorded in 2024.
• The industry recorded 51 accidents across 38.7 million flights in 2025, compared with 54 accidents across 37.9 million flights in 2024.
• Fatal accidents increased slightly to eight in 2025 from seven in 2024, while on-board fatalities rose to 394, higher than 244 deaths recorded in 2024.

The most common accident types globally were tail strikes, landing gear incidents, runway excursions and ground damage, indicating that many accidents occur during take-off, landing or ground handling.

Despite the increase in fatalities, IATA maintained that aviation remains the safest form of long-distance travel, noting that long-term safety performance has improved over the past decade.

Other regional insights

Safety performance varied across regions in 2025, with several regions recording improvements in accident rates compared with the previous year.

• The Asia-Pacific region recorded six accidents, with the accident rate improving to 0.91 per million sectors, down from 1.08 in 2024 and below the five-year average of 0.99.
• Europe recorded 11 accidents, with the accident rate declining to 1.30 per million sectors from 1.48 in 2024, although still above the five-year average of 1.11, and the region recorded no fatalities.
• North America recorded 16 accidents, pushing the accident rate to 1.68 per million sectors, higher than 1.49 in 2024 and above the five-year average of 1.33.
• The Latin America and Caribbean region recorded five accidents, with the accident rate improving slightly to 1.77 per million sectors from 1.84 in 2024.

Meanwhile, the Middle East and North Africa region recorded only one accident in 2025 with an improved accident rate of 0.53 per million sectors, while North Asia recorded one non-fatal tail strike accident, leaving the accident rate unchanged at 0.16 per million sectors.

What you should know   

Nigeria has recorded several aviation incidents in recent years, although most have not resulted in fatalities. Some of the incidents reported in 2025 involved technical issues experienced during landing operations.

• A Max Air Boeing 737 suffered a nose wheel landing gear collapse and rear tyre burst while landing at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in January 2025.
• The aircraft had 53 passengers and six crew members on board, and no injuries were reported, according to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
• In December 2025, a Hawker 800XP private jet operated by Flybird Aircraft Management Services experienced a nose gear collapse during a non-scheduled flight, with all eight occupants escaping unharmed.

It is also important to note that some Nigerian domestic airlines are not members of IATA, meaning the association’s safety report may not capture every aviation incident occurring within the country.