14 DEC: With just two weeks to go, 2011 has proved to be the safest year for air travel since records began.
Statistics issued by IATA show that while the number of fatal air crashes has been almost the same as last year (22 in 2011 compared to 23 in 2010), there have been far fewer deaths.
To date, the number of passengers and airline crew members killed in air accidents this year stands at 486, compared to 786 last year.
"As of the end of November, global safety performance is at the best level recorded, and is 49% better than the same time last year," IATA senior vp Gunther Matschnigg said.
IATA figures date back to 1945.
The accident rate has fallen in every region of the world, except for Russia, where a figure of 1.39 crashes per million take-offs has been recorded so far.
But statistically, Africa remains the most dangerous continent for commercial aviation.
The accident rate in Africa for 2011 stands at 3.93 crashes per million take-offs – although this is a significant improvement on 2010, when the figure was 8.26.
