By MARYANNE GICOBI

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Travelling by air is getting safer, according to data from Aviation Safety Sector.

Data from ASN, a global organisation that covers safety issues in airliners, military transport planes and corporate jets, shows that 2017 had the smallest figure of accidents since recording began in 1919.

There were only five accidents involving civilian aircraft with a capacity of 14 or more passengers, resulting in 31 deaths. 2016 recorded 16 accidents, in which 303 people died.

There were five accidents involving cargo flights and another five of passenger flights. These from a total worldwide air traffic of about 36.8 million flights.

And for the first time since 1957, there were no accidents or fatalities involving passenger jets, as all those who died in 2017 were in a propeller-driven aircraft.

ASN says this is a great improvement, citing 1972, when there were 55 accidents in which more than 2,400 lives were lost with passenger jet accidents accounting for 60 per cent of the fatalities.

Steady decline since 1997

According the data, the average number of accidents per year has been steadily declining from 1997.

“This is because of safety measures put in place by international organisations such as the International Air Transport Association, an airline industry group, and the International Civil Aviation — the UN agency that deals with aviation safety,” said ASN President Harro Ranter.

However, last week, in his characteristic bluster, American President, Donald Trump took credit for the safe skies.

“Since taking office I have been very strict on Commercial Aviation. Good news — it was just reported that there were zero deaths in 2017, the best and safest year on record!” President Trump tweeted.

Ethiopia has had only 17 fatal airplane accidents since 1919, while Kenya has recorded 29 fatal aircraft accidents within the period. Uganda has had 25 fatal aeroplane accidents, Tanzania recorded 13, Rwanda suffered one, while Burundi has not experienced any.

Even with these enviable accident figures, Africa has very little aeroplane traffic, with the continent often faulted for having closed skies.

African governments have blocked or restricted their airspaces from each other, but have been generous to non-African carriers. As a consequence, nearly 80 per cent of African air traffic is dominated by non-African carriers.

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