With only eleven fatal accidents world-wide on revenue passenger flights, 2004 has turned out to be the safest year ever for commercial air transport. Furthermore, if deliberate acts of violence are excluded, 2004 was the fourth year in a row in which there was a reduction in the number of fatal accidents involving passengers. On this basis, each of the three preceding years have, in turn, also been the 'safest year ever'. This series of 'safe years', starting in 2001, is unprecedented. There has been no other time in the 60 years since World War Two which has produced four consecutive years in which the number of fatal accidents has reduced year on year. The closest to this was the period between 1972 and 1975, but 1972, with 51 fatal accidents, was a 'bad' year, and the subsequent reduction in accidents was largely only recovering from this.
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