Air travel fatalities hit lowest ever in 2013

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

PARIS – Travelling by airplane has never been safer, the EU’s European Aviation Safety Agency said on Wednesday.

“Worldwide fatal accidents involving large commercial air transport airplanes were lower in 2013 than any other year in the last decade, with 17 accidents, compared with a yearly average of 27,” the agency said.

In line with the drop in crashes, fatalities also plummeted last year with only 224 killed in plane accidents worldwide compared with a yearly average of 703 between 2003 and 2012.

In European Union skies, there were no fatal accidents “involving large commercial air transport airplanes,” the agency said with airlines carrying out approximately 6 million commercial flights that transported 800 million passengers.

According to the Germany-based agency, 2014 marks the 100th year anniversary of commercial air travel.