Africa’s aviation safety improves in 2025 but region still tops global accident rates

March 9, 2026 in Transport, Travel & Tourism by Editor

Africa’s airline safety performance improved in 2025 with accident rates declining sharply from the previous year, but the continent still recorded the highest accident rate globally, according to the International Air Transport Association’s latest safety report.

 

Africa’s aviation safety performance improved in 2025 but the region still recorded the highest accident rate globally, highlighting persistent structural and regulatory challenges in the continent’s airline industry.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) 2025 Annual Safety Report, Africa recorded seven accidents in 2025, with the all-accident rate improving significantly to 7.86 accidents per million sectors, down from 12.13 in 2024.

The improvement also placed the region below its five-year average of 9.37, signalling gradual progress in aviation safety standards.

However, Africa still had the highest accident rate of any global region, and the fatality risk increased from zero in 2024 to 2.19 in 2025, reflecting the uneven nature of safety gains across the continent’s aviation sector.

The report found that runway excursions and incidents classified as “other end state” — accidents where the precise cause cannot be fully categorised — were the most common safety events involving African airlines.

Global aviation safety remains strong overall

Globally, aviation remained one of the safest modes of transport in 2025 despite a rise in fatalities from a small number of major accidents.

Worldwide there were 51 accidents across 38.7 million flights, compared with 54 accidents among 37.9 million flights in 2024, according to IATA.

The global all-accident rate improved to 1.32 accidents per million flights, equivalent to one accident for every 759,646 flights, down from 1.42 in 2024, though still slightly above the five-year average of 1.27.

Eight accidents involved fatalities in 2025, resulting in 394 deaths on board aircraft, compared with 244 fatalities in 2024 and the five-year average of 198.

“Flying is the safest form of long-distance travel,” said Willie Walsh, Director General of IATA.

“Accidents are extremely rare and each one reminds us to remain focused on continuous improvement through global standards and collaboration guided by safety data.”

Walsh noted that long-term aviation safety continues to improve. A decade ago, the industry recorded one fatal accident for every 3.5 million flights, compared with one fatal accident for every 5.6 million flights today.

Infrastructure and investigation gaps remain a concern in Africa

The report highlights structural safety challenges in Africa, particularly around accident investigation capacity and regulatory compliance.

Analysis of global accident investigations between 2019 and 2023 found that only 63pc of accident reports were completed in line with international obligations.

Africa recorded the lowest regional completion rate at just 19pc, far below other regions including North America (78pc), Europe (75pc) and Asia-Pacific (68%).

Under the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, countries are required to conduct and publish accident investigations to help prevent future incidents.

IATA said the large number of African incidents classified as “other end state” events partly reflect insufficient reporting and incomplete investigations, limiting the aviation sector’s ability to identify safety risks.

Turboprop aircraft dominate African accident statistics

The report also shows a strong link between accident patterns and aircraft types used in African aviation markets.

Of accidents involving African airlines, 71pc involved turboprop aircraft, which are commonly used for short-haul and regional routes across the continent where jet operations are less economically viable.

Globally, turboprop accident rates also increased in 2025 to 4.08 per million flights, compared with 3.22 in 2024.

By contrast, jet aircraft accident rates improved globally, falling to 1.03 accidents per million flights in 2025.

Safety audits show strong results for compliant airlines

Airlines participating in the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) continued to demonstrate significantly better safety performance.

Carriers on the IOSA registry recorded an accident rate of 0.98 per million flights, compared with 2.55 for non-IOSA airlines.

IATA member airlines overall performed even better, with an accident rate of 0.72 per million flights.

Airport infrastructure was a contributing factor in 16pc of accidents worldwide in 2025, according to the report.

Walsh said poorly designed or maintained runway environments can increase accident severity.

“In several events, rigid obstacles near runways increased accident severity, likely turning otherwise survivable occurrences into fatal ones,” he said.

The report emphasised the importance of runway safety areas, proper markings, lighting, and obstacle management around airports.

New risks emerging for global aviation

Beyond traditional safety challenges, the report highlights growing geopolitical and technological risks affecting aviation safety.

The expansion of global conflict zones has increased operational complexity for airlines, forcing route changes and raising concerns about airspace safety.

At the same time, incidents involving interference with Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) have risen sharply.

IATA data shows reported GPS jamming incidents increased 67pc between 2023 and 2025, while GPS spoofing incidents surged 193pc.

Walsh warned that such interference could pose serious risks to aircraft navigation systems if not addressed by governments and air navigation authorities.

Safety progress continues but challenges remain

Despite regional disparities, the report emphasises that aviation safety continues to improve globally through data-driven regulation and industry collaboration.

“Every accident is one too many,” Walsh said. “The goal for aviation remains zero accidents and zero fatalities.”

For Africa, the latest data suggests that safety performance is improving, but stronger regulatory oversight, accident investigation capacity, and infrastructure investment will be critical to narrowing the gap with global aviation safety standards.