In 2023, the world registered 5,337 aviation-related incidents/accidents, according to the Aviation Safety Network database. Of these, 661 resulted in fatal injuries, claiming the lives of 1,322 individuals. This marked a 17.2% decrease from the approximately 1,596 deaths from 772 incidents/accidents recorded in 2022.
👉 The worst accident occurred in Nepal on January 15, 2023, involving a domestic scheduled ATR 72 aircraft, which tragically claimed the lives of all 72 people on board.
Africa experienced a significant rise in reported incidents/accidents, with approximately 344 incidents/accidents, marking a 27% increase from the 270 reported in 2022.
👉 Notable incidents in Africa included a crash in Port Sudan, Sudan, involving an Antonov An-26 on July 23, 2023 which claimed the lives of nine people on board. Additionally, a serious ground incident on August 3, 2023 involving a B737-8D6 at Tlemcen-Zenata Airport in Algeria also resulted in nine fatalities, all ground personnel.
Civil aviation accounted for 76.7% (or 264) of the reported incidents/accidents, a slight 5.6% increase from the 250 incidents/accidents reported in 2022. Military aviation incidents constituted 23.3% (or 80), representing a significant 400% increase from the 20 incidents/accidents reported in 2022.
In terms of fatal injuries, Africa registered 102 fatalities in 2023, a 17.1% decrease from the 123 deaths recorded in 2022. Civil aviation accounted for 31 deaths from 10 incidents/accidents, compared to 54 aviation-related deaths from 7 incidents/accidents in 2022.
Military aviation-related deaths saw a slight increase, with 71 fatalities from 33 incidents/accidents in 2023, compared to 69 fatalities from 20 incidents/accidents in 2022.
Overall, the Southern African region reported more than half of all incidents/accidents, with South Africa alone accounting for approximately 49.4% (or 170 incidents/accidents) of these. This was a decrease from the 176 incidents/accidents registered in 2022 in the country. Furthermore, South Africa recorded the highest number of fatalities, with 22 deaths (21.6% of the total reported on the continent), a significant increase from the 10 recorded in 2022.
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