IATA said the next advances in aviation safety will depend on people, technology and standards working together as a resilient system. Mark Searle, IATA’s Director of Safety, made the remarks at the opening of the IATA World Safety and Operations Conference 2026 in Istanbul.
Searle said fatal accident rates improved from one accident per 3.5 million flights to one per 5.6 million flights. IATA also said many of aviation’s biggest safety challenges stem from inconsistent implementation and oversight, rather than a lack of global standards.
On technology, Searle said rising Global Navigation Satellite System interference is a reminder that technology must be supported by redundancy, procedures, training and human judgment.
