EASA annual review records 116 aviation deaths in 2025
European regulators say 116 people died in aviation accidents linked to EU territory or EU-registered aircraft in 2025, up from 91 the year before. Almost all of the dead were on private non-commercial flights.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the EU's statistical office have published their 2025 Annual Safety Review, counting deaths and injuries from accidents that happened inside EU territory or involved aircraft on the EU register.
The review puts the 2025 death toll at 116, against 91 in 2024. Fixed-wing powered aircraft accounted for 79 of those deaths. Helicopters and sailplanes were each linked to 18, and a balloon accident accounted for one.
Private non-commercial flying, which takes in general and executive aviation, accounted for 109 of the 116. The deadliest single accident of that kind involving an EU-linked aircraft was the December 2025 crash of a Malta-registered Falcon 50 near Ankara, carrying an official Libyan delegation. Eight people died, among them the head of the Libyan army.
Among non-commercial accidents inside EU territory or airspace, France recorded the most deaths with 28, followed by Germany with 12 and Romania and Slovakia with six each.
Commercial operations accounted for four deaths in 2025, compared with three in 2024 and none in 2023. A further three people died during specialised aerial work such as crop-spraying, inspection flights and aerial photography.
The report notes the overall figures are low by historical standards, but warns that one large accident can change the picture sharply. It points to 2015 as the last year in which commercial flights produced most of the year's deaths.
Sources
- aerotime.aeroEASA releases annual aviation safety figures: 116 deaths in 2025