As planes return to the sky, airline accidents increase

The good news is that aviation is starting to return to normal, but the bad news is that aviation accidents have risen over the past year.

The number of commercial jet aircraft accidents rose in 2021 over the previous year, reflecting an increase in global flights.

It’s been a rocky few years for global aviation, battered by the pandemic and higher oil prices around the world.

There were 23 commercial jet aircraft accidents in 2021, according to the 53rd edition of Boeing’s annually updated report.

Read the full report here: Statistical Summary of Commercial Jet Airplane Accidents: Worldwide Operations: 1959-2021.

Only one accident was fatal – a Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 that lost altitude shortly after take-off on 9 January 2021.

The aircraft took off and crashed into the ocean off the coast of Indonesia.

Six crew members and 56 passengers died and the aircraft was destroyed.

The global commercial jet fleet logged about 46.9 million flight hours in 2021, up 11% from 42.2 million hours in 2020, seen as the worst year of the pandemic.

There were 17 commercial jet accidents in 2020, three of which were fatal.

Four of the accidents in 2021 resulted in hull losses, meaning the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Declining number of accidents

The annual global rate of fatal accidents involving commercial jets has been less than 0.2 per one million flights over the past decade – down from an annual rate between roughly 0.4 and 0.8 the prior decade.

“Over the past 63 years, hull losses and onboard fatalities declined dramatically while the number of flights continued to increase,” the Boeing report says.