Fewer Airline Crashes in 2009, but More Deaths

An airline industry group counts 18 fatal airline accidents last year, five fewer than in 2008.

By: Associated Press | WSAV-TV
Published: February 18, 2010

» Comments | Post a Comment

WASHINGTON (AP) - An airline industry group counts fewer airline
crashes last year compared to 2008.
But, the International Air Transport Association says there were
nearly 700 deaths in 2009, compared to about 500 the year before.
There were 18 fatal airline accidents last year, five fewer than
in 2008. Two-thousand nine's major accident rate was the second
lowest ever.
The Air France crash over the Atlantic, the Yemeni Airways crash
in the Indian Ocean and a plane crash out of Tehran account for
most of the deaths.
An official at the Flight Safety Foundation says the current
accident rate is only about half what it was in the 90s, thanks in
part to technological advances.
But, Jim Burin says the disturbing thing is that almost all the
improvement in the accident rate took place in the first half of
the past decade.