GENEVA - LAST year was one of the safest in more than four decades to fly, with just 136 serious accidents occurring around the world, the Aircraft Crashes Record Office (Acro) said on Tuesday.
The private group, which documents air disasters worldwide, said that 965 people died in 2007 in accidents involving planes big enough to carry at least six passengers plus crew. That was 25 per cent less than in 2006, and the lowest rate since 2004.
The total number of accidents causing severe damage to an aircraft - 136 - was the smallest since 1963, making 2007 'one of the safest years since the last half century' for civil aviation, the Geneva-based Acro said in a statement.
The biggest accident last year was the July 17 crash of a TAM Brasil flight in Sao Paolo, followed by a Kenya Airways crash on May 5 and the crash off Ujung Pandang on Jan 1 of an Adam Air Indonesia flight, the group said.
It recorded 34 accidents in the United States, 10 in Canada, 8 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, 5 in Colombia and 5 in Indonesia in 2007. The Acro does not track minor accidents or events involving helicopters, small jets, or military aircraft. -- REUTERS
