Fatal accident rates have improved from one accident per 3.5 million flights to one per 5.6 million flights, but there’s still more work to be done, according to Mark Searle, IATA’s director of safety.
Speaking at the opening of the IATA World Safety and Operations Conference 2026 in Istanbul, Searle said 394 lives were lost last year in aviation accidents, and highlighted the need for stronger integration of people, technology, and global standards to advance safety. “People, technology, and standards must reinforce one another,” says Searle. “When one of these pillars is weak, the resilience of the entire system is reduced.”
Touching first on the ‘people’ factor of safety, Searle identified the need for structured mentoring, training and succession planning, and the amalgamation of knowledge from experienced professionals and those with digital skills.
Also key is the protection of safety culture, Searle saying the industry has spent decades building a positive safety culture in which people report their own errors, and mistakes become opportunities for everyone to learn from.
“That culture was nurtured deliberately over many years, and it is critical that, as one generation moves on, the next takes over the mantle and builds on what was done before.”
Technology such as Artificial Intelligence is also needed to strengthen safety, but integration needs to be carefully considered; questions such as whether operations can remain safe if the technology is unavailable or compromised must be asked.
Searle says technology alone is never enough. “The aviation system must remain resilient when technology is unavailable, degraded, or provides misleading information.”
Searle also highlighted the value of common global standards backed by effective oversight, with many of aviation’s biggest safety challenges stemming from inconsistent implementation and oversight, rather than a lack of global standards.
