ICAO Safety Report 2025 Edition — Quick Notes (Last-Minute Review)

Executive Summary

  • 2024 safety overview metrics:
    • Passengers: 4.528 4.528\,billion; Flights: 37.09 37.09\,million.
    • Global accident rate: 2.56 2.56\,accidents per million departures.
    • Fatalities: 296 296\,Fatal accidents: 10 10\,Accidents: 95 95\,Serious injuries: 134 .</li><li>Fatalityrate:134\,.</li> <li>Fatality rate:65\,fatalitiesperbillionpassengers.</li><li>2024vs2023:accidents+fatalities per billion passengers.</li> <li>2024 vs 2023: accidents +43.9\%\$, rate +36.8\%\$; but both metrics remain below pre-pandemic 2019 levels.
  • Traffic recovery context:
    • 2024 passenger volumes (~4.528B) approached or exceeded pre-pandemic levels; departures near 2019 levels.
  • Regional fatalities (2024):
    • Asia and Pacific (APAC): 3 fatal accidents, 185 fatalities.
    • Europe & North Atlantic (EUR/NAT): 3 fatal accidents, 40 fatalities.
    • Middle East (MID): 1 fatal accident, 1 fatality.
    • North America, Central America & Caribbean (NACC): 1 fatal accident, 6 fatalities.
    • South America (SAM): 1 fatal accident, 62 fatalities.
    • Eastern and Southern Africa (ESAF): 1 fatal accident, 2 fatalities.
    • Western & Central Africa (WACAF): 0 fatal accidents.

Milestones and Context

  • 80th anniversary of Chicago Convention (7 Dec 2024).
  • 2026–2050 Strategic Plan launched; 42nd ICAO Assembly in Sept–Oct 2025.
  • Special edition safety report: State of Global Aviation Safety (2025 edition).

Global Safety Initiatives

  • Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Radio Frequency Interference (RFI)
    • GNSS vulnerabilities: jamming and spoofing; civil signals unencrypted and unauthenticated.
    • Actions: Resolution 41-8/C (GNSS resilience) and AN-Conf/14 (2024) recommendations; ITU-ICAO-IMO joint actions (Mar 2025).
    • Short-term: mitigation; long-term: GNSS data authentication; alternative navigation concepts (A-PNT); preserve conventional aids.
  • Civil-military Cooperation in Aviation
    • Civil-military cooperation enhances safety, ATM capacity, and airspace optimization.
    • Key framework: Manual on Civil-Military Cooperation in Air Traffic Management (Doc 10088, 2021).
    • Flexible Use of Airspace (FUA) to improve efficiency; supports conflict zones and humanitarian ops; enables future UAS/AAM integration.
  • Evolution of Aeronautical Meteorological Service to Enhance Safety Against Turbulence Encounters
    • Upgrades to weather information: higher-resolution WAFS forecasts; new HWIS concept; SWIM-enabled data sharing.
    • Next-gen WAFC outputs will include turbulence likelihood (clear-air and mountain-induced).
    • Enhanced turbulence forecasting supports flight planning and ATFM/ATM decisions.

Safe Integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) / Advanced Air Mobility (AAM)

  • RPAS regulatory framework: Part IV – International Operations – Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (Annex 6) adopted in 2024; RPAS Operator Certificate (ROC) required; C2 links, DAA, and ATM/UTM integration under development.
  • RPASP (RPAS Panel) expanding SARPs, procedures, and guidance for international operations; 26th RPASP meeting (Mar 2025).
  • UAS Traffic Management (UTM) development under ICAO UTM framework; AAM Study Group (AAM SG) scaling interoperability; 2024 AAM Symposium and global Call to Action for collaboration.

Runway Safety

  • Runway Safety improvements continue; Second Edition of Global Runway Safety Action Plan (GRSAP) published.
  • Supporting plans: Global Action Plan for Runway Excursions (GAPPRE) and Runway Incursions (GAPPRI).
  • Annex 14 – Aerodrome design/operations updates include Runway Distance Remaining Signs (RDRS).

Health Promotion and Mental Wellbeing in Aviation Safety

  • ICAO Mental Health Working Group (MHWG) progressing since the Germanwings accident.
  • New Manual of Health Promotion and Mental Wellbeing in Aviation Personnel (scheduled for 2025).
  • Ongoing enhancements to aviation medical risk management; integration with Safety Management Principles; peer support and data-driven health initiatives.

Timely Publication of Accident Investigation Final Reports

  • Annex 13 requirements: Final reports publicly available within 12 months when possible; reports to ICAO central e-Library.
  • 2017–2022: average time to publish Final Reports ≈ 20\,months;2024:; 2024:76\% of Final Reports published for investigations 2017–2022.
  • Emphasis on timely dissemination to support safety actions and lessons learned.

ICAO Accident/Incident Data Reporting (ADREP) System

  • ADREP history: started in 1970s; taxonomy updated to ADREP2000; cloud-based ECCAIRS 2 now in use.
  • Data scope: records of accidents/incidents for MTOW > 5700\text{ kg}; 45,000records;OVSGvalidatesdatausingADREPtaxonomy.</li><li>Purpose:supportsafetytrendanalysis,GASPtargets,anddata−drivendecision−making;dataaccessibletoStatesforprevention.</li></ul><h3id="wildlifestrikesreporting">WildlifeStrikesReporting</h3><ul><li>IBISdataincreasedrobustness(66<li>74<li>ICAOmodernizingdatapracticesandupdatingIBISguidance;newIBISedition(Doc9332)forthcoming.</li></ul><h3id="globalaeronauticaldistressandsafetysystemgadss">GlobalAeronauticalDistressandSafetySystem(GADSS)</h3><ul><li>2014–2024:progressonflighttrackinganddistressresponse;LocationofanAircraftinDistressRepository(LADR)andOPSCTRLnowoperational.</li><li>Asof2025−01−01,allnewaircraftequippedtotransmitdistresslocationeveryminuteorless;distressdatasharedviaEUROCONTROL−hostedplatform.</li><li>GADSSaimstoimprovetracking,distressidentification,responsecoordination,anddataretrievalforsafetyanalysis.</li></ul><h3id="safetymanagementcapacitybuildinganddatadrivenoversight">SafetyManagementCapacityBuildingandData−DrivenOversight</h3><ul><li>SafetyManagementImplementationPackage(iPack)launchedin2024tosupportStateswithSSPimplementation;dedicatedSMEsupport(20workdays).</li><li>SafetyIntelligenceandSafetyPerformanceManagementWorkshops(2023–2024)tobuilddatagovernance,indicators,andmonitoringcapabilities.</li><li>Annex19Amendment2andSafetyIntelligenceManual(Doc10159)provideenhancedguidanceonsafetydata,informationexchange,andanalytics.</li><li>SafetyManagementImplementation(SMI)websitehostspracticalexamplesandtools(Doc9859era;updatesongoing).</li></ul><h3id="regionalcooperationinaviationsafety">RegionalCooperationinAviationSafety</h3><ul><li>RSOO/RAIOcooperativeplatformsenablepeersupportamong14RSOOsand6RAIOs(≈150States).</li><li>RSOO/RAIOAssessments;USOAPCMAstandardization;guidancematerialupdates(e.g.,SafetyOversightManual,Doc9734).</li><li>Globalevents(RSOOForum2023@Nairobi;AviationSafetySymposium2024@AbuDhabi)tofostercollaboration.</li></ul><h3id="regionalsafetyandmonitoringoverview">RegionalSafetyandMonitoringOverview</h3><ul><li>USOAPCMA:2024globalEIaverage; ~45,000 records; OVSG validates data using ADREP taxonomy.</li> <li>Purpose: support safety trend analysis, GASP targets, and data-driven decision-making; data accessible to States for prevention.</li> </ul> <h3 id="wildlifestrikesreporting">Wildlife Strikes Reporting</h3> <ul> <li>IBIS data increased robustness (66% of States nominated IBIS focal points); 273,000 wildlife strike reports (2016–2021 period analyzed).</li> <li>74% of wildlife strikes occur on or near aerodromes; 24% during take-off; 46% during approach/landing.</li> <li>ICAO modernizing data practices and updating IBIS guidance; new IBIS edition (Doc 9332) forthcoming.</li> </ul> <h3 id="globalaeronauticaldistressandsafetysystemgadss">Global Aeronautical Distress and Safety System (GADSS)</h3> <ul> <li>2014–2024: progress on flight tracking and distress response; Location of an Aircraft in Distress Repository (LADR) and OPS CTRL now operational.</li> <li>As of 2025-01-01, all new aircraft equipped to transmit distress location every minute or less; distress data shared via EUROCONTROL-hosted platform.</li> <li>GADSS aims to improve tracking, distress identification, response coordination, and data retrieval for safety analysis.</li> </ul> <h3 id="safetymanagementcapacitybuildinganddatadrivenoversight">Safety Management Capacity Building and Data-Driven Oversight</h3> <ul> <li>Safety Management Implementation Package (iPack) launched in 2024 to support States with SSP implementation; dedicated SME support (20 workdays).</li> <li>Safety Intelligence and Safety Performance Management Workshops (2023–2024) to build data governance, indicators, and monitoring capabilities.</li> <li>Annex 19 Amendment 2 and Safety Intelligence Manual (Doc 10159) provide enhanced guidance on safety data, information exchange, and analytics.</li> <li>Safety Management Implementation (SMI) website hosts practical examples and tools (Doc 9859 era; updates ongoing).</li> </ul> <h3 id="regionalcooperationinaviationsafety">Regional Cooperation in Aviation Safety</h3> <ul> <li>RSOO/RAIO cooperative platforms enable peer support among 14 RSOOs and 6 RAIOs (≈150 States).</li> <li>RSOO/RAIO Assessments; USOAP CMA standardization; guidance material updates (e.g., Safety Oversight Manual, Doc 9734).</li> <li>Global events (RSOO Forum 2023 @ Nairobi; Aviation Safety Symposium 2024 @ Abu Dhabi) to foster collaboration.</li> </ul> <h3 id="regionalsafetyandmonitoringoverview">Regional Safety and Monitoring Overview</h3> <ul> <li>USOAP CMA: 2024 global EI average68.67\%;numberofStatesachievingthe2023–2025EItarget(75; number of States achieving the 2023–2025 EI target (75%) rose to45\%in2024.</li><li>EightCEareas(CE−1toCE−8)andeightauditareas(LEG,ORG,PEL,OPS,AIR,AIG,ANS,AGA)showvaryingEIperformance,withCE−1(primarylegislation)atin 2024.</li> <li>Eight CE areas (CE-1 to CE-8) and eight audit areas (LEG, ORG, PEL, OPS, AIR, AIG, ANS, AGA) show varying EI performance, with CE-1 (primary legislation) at75\%\$ global target achievement; CE-4 and CE-5 below targets historically.

Regional Initiatives (Summary by ICAO Region)

  • APAC: Accident rate trend downward (2023 rate 1.87 1.87\,/per million departed), RASG-APAC rate 0.78 0.78\,/per million; capacity-building through CAT missions; 85 GSI-trained Government Safety Inspectors; aerodrome certification ~91.35%91.35\% international airports certified as of 2025-03-19.
  • ESAF: EI 61.6%61.6\% in 2024; five SSCs resolved; ROST technical assistance; ongoing SSP development.
  • EUR/NAT: USOAP CMA EI ~68.67%68.67\% in 2024; CE-1 achievement at or above 75%; LEG and AIR above 75% targets; ongoing improvements.
  • MID: Departures 1.40 1.40\,million; 2 accidents; rate 1.43$/million;1fatalaccident;1fatality.</li><li>NACC:Departures1.43\$/million; 1 fatal accident; 1 fatality.</li> <li>NACC: Departures11.10\,million;37accidents;ratemillion; 37 accidents; rate3.33\$/million; 1 fatal accident; 6 fatalities.
  • SAM: Departures 1.95 1.95\,million; 6 accidents; rate 3.08$/million;1fatalaccident;62fatalities.</li><li>WACAF:Departures3.08\$/million; 1 fatal accident; 62 fatalities.</li> <li>WACAF: Departures0.26\,million;2accidents;ratemillion; 2 accidents; rate7.62\$/million; 0 fatal; ongoing SSP actions.

Appendix (Reference Tools)

  • ICAO Regions and regional offices: APAC, ESAF, EUR/NAT, MID, NACC, SAM, WACAF.
  • ADREP taxonomy and SAFETY data governance resources referenced in USOAP CMA reports.
  • Note: Appendix materials (e.g., Appendix 2 list of 2024 accidents; Appendix 3 CICTT categories) provide granular data for in-depth study.

Quick Takeaways for Exam Preparation

  • Global trend: 2024 saw higher accidents and fatalities than 2023, but overall safety indicators remained below or near pre-pandemic levels; traffic rebounded strongly.
  • Core safety priorities (G-HRCs): CFIT, LOC-I, MAC, RE, RI continue to be focus areas for reductions in fatalities.
  • Key enablers: standardized SARPs, data-driven safety management (SMS/SAP), SSP and USOAP CMA improvements, and robust data systems (ADREP, IBIS, GADSS).
  • Emerging frontiers: GNSS resilience, UAS/AAM integration, civil-military cooperation, and advanced meteorological services to mitigate turbulence and weather-related safety risks.