The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has published its Annual Safety Review for 2008.

The number of fatal accidents involving aircraft registered in member states of EASA and performing commercial air transport operations remained at the level of 2007 (three).

This number is one of the lowest in the decade and well below the average of six fatal accidents per year. In 2008, 5.5 per cent of all fatal accidents in commercial air transport worldwide occurred with airplanes registered in an EASA member state.

This low number of accidents was overshadowed by the Aug. 20, 2008 tragic crash of a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 aircraft in Spain involving 154 fatalities among the holiday travelers. Spanair Flight JK5022 never got more than a few feet off the ground after its pilots failed to set the wing flaps and slats before takeoff, according to a preliminary report by Spanish investigators.

The number of onboard fatalities for 2008 (160 fatalities), which was above the average of the decade (105 fatalities), was mainly due to this one accident.

Regarding aircraft registered in the rest of the world, the number of fatal accidents in the same type of operation decreased from 53 in the year 2007 to 51 accidents in 2008. The number is within the decade's average (53 accidents).

The report also includes data on commercial helicopter operations and aircraft involved in general aviation and aerial work.