Fatalities in European Union air accidents dropped in 2024, with 91 people killed in incidents involving EU-registered aircraft, down from 121 the previous year, according to new data released by Eurostat on Wednesday. The statistics show airplanes were responsible for the majority of deaths (74), followed by sailplanes (10), helicopters (6) and balloons (1). No fatal accidents or injuries involving unmanned aircraft were recorded for the second consecutive year.
Non-commercial flights—including business, demonstration, instructional and relocation operations—accounted for most fatalities, representing 91.2% of the total. Specialised operations such as agricultural flights or aerial photography made up 5.5%, while commercial air transport accounted for just 3.3%. Eurostat described the data as part of its ongoing effort to monitor aviation safety across member states and published the figures alongside its detailed Air Safety Statistics in the EU report.
In addition to fatalities, 214 people were seriously or slightly injured in air accidents involving EU-registered aircraft last year, down from 229 in 2023. About 60% of those injuries (129) occurred in airplane accidents, with sailplanes responsible for 41, helicopters for 24 and balloons for 20. The data continues to reflect an overall decline in air accident casualties within the EU’s civil aviation sector.
For an aviation forum, it’s disappointing to see talking about fatalities in incidents. I can understand the general press is unaware of ICAO and its definitions, but not the specialised press.
An incident means there’s no fatality, no serious injury, no airplane destruction or major damage. A single fatality means it’s an accident. Suggest to look for the difinition in Annex 13.