Eurostat has recently published data regarding aircraft accidents and various other details pertaining to 2022.
It revealed that in the previous year alone, more than 140 people lost their lives in aviation accidents in the region of the European Union.
Moreover, all these accidents involved airplanes that were registered in the EU and were operational in the member states.
Fatalities
As per the report, the aviation accident facilities that occurred in 2022 involved various aircraft, especially those with a maximum take-off mass below 2,250 kilograms.
Consequently, this category was defined as the general aviation category, and its subcategory consists of motor and paragliders, small airplanes, microlights, dirigibles, small helicopters, and hot air balloons.
The general category accounts for 83% of the deaths that occurred in 2022, which lands at a figure of 112 accident-related fatalities.
Commercial air transport
On the other hand, the second-highest number of deaths in 2022 was a direct result of commercial air transport.
As per Eurostat’s report, commercial air transport was responsible for around 12% of the overall deaths, with a figure of 17 out of 147.
Meanwhile, during the years 2012 to 2022, no significant accidents had been recorded in commercial air transport in any of the member states of the EU or that involved an EU-registered aircraft.
However, an exception did arise in 2015 when 150 people lost their lives due to the crash of German aircraft in the Alps of France.
Aerial work
After the commercial air transport category, aerial work brings up the rear by accounting for 5% of aviation-related deaths, which translates to 5 casualties in total.
The general aviation, on the other hand, recorded only a single death in the previous year.
Eurostat has also taken to share data regarding aviation accidents that involved EU-registered aircraft during the period of 2018 to 2022.
In this time span, the region recorded a total of 783 fatalities in air transport accidents, which took place in the territory of the EU alone.
From the total, 49 people lost their lives in commercial air transport accidents, while 49 passed away due to aerial work accidents.
On the other hand, the most significant number was recorded in the general aviation accidents category, with a figure of 685.
In the report published by Eurostat, it added that when accidents involve smaller aircraft or those with a mass of 2,250, they are usually reported in the area where these planes were originally registered.
However, in other aviation categories, differences may be present between the country where the accident occurs and where the aircraft has been registered.
While disclosing details regarding the period of 2018 to 2022, Eurostat added that no fatality had been recorded in three countries.
These included Malta, Luxembourg, and Cyprus. However, the other EU member states recorded either ten or fewer casualties due to aviation accidents.
Meanwhile, the rest of the member states reported fatalities that lay somewhere between ten and 50. Germany and France had the highest number of deaths caused due to aviation accidents.
