IATA warns too few air accident reports are made public

Authorities publish final reports for only about half of aviation accidents investigated under international rules, an International Air Transport Association (IATA) executive has said. The reporting gaps make it harder for airlines and regulators to identify hazards that could lead to similar accidents elsewhere.

Mark Searle, IATA’s global director of safety, told Reuters that he saw little improvement in publication rates. “I don’t think 50% is acceptable,” he said, speaking on the sidelines of the International Aviation Safety Summit in Montreal. “It just seems ​we’re floating around that 50% and there’s no real sort of forward trajectory.”

Hassan Shahidi, president and chief executive of the Flight Safety Foundation, which organised the summit, told Reuters that investigating bodies often cite a shortage of staff with the expertise to complete reports. He said some cases are also politically sensitive, including suspected aircraft downings.

What IATA’s accident data shows

IATA’s 2025 Annual Safety Report found that investigations had been completed for 63% of the 203 accidents it recorded from 2019 to 2023. 

The association has set up a database of safety recommendations from accident investigations. 

This gives operators a way to discover findings that apply to their own fleets or procedures. For example, a report can give an airline enough detail to review whether its training addresses the circumstances that led to an accident involving another operator.

What investigators must publish after a year

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) sets out the investigation process in Annex 13 to the Chicago Convention. The state conducting the investigation must make the final report public as soon as possible and, if possible, within 12 months of the occurrence.

If the final report is unavailable after 12 months, the investigating state must publish an interim statement on each anniversary. The statement should describe the progress of the investigation and any safety issues it has raised. A preliminary report shares early factual information, generally within 30 days, while investigators still gather and analyse evidence.

Before publication, the investigating state circulates the draft final report to the states entitled to participate and gives them an opportunity to comment. Investigators can issue urgent safety recommendations while that work is underway.

The final report brings together the evidence, analysis, conclusions and any safety recommendations so others can see how the findings were reached.

Air India Flight 171 final report still pending

India’s investigation into Air India Flight 171 shows how the interim reporting process works. The Boeing 787-8, bound for London Gatwick, crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on 12 June 2025. The crash killed 260 people on the aircraft and on the ground.

India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau published a preliminary report in July 2025 and issued an interim statement on the first anniversary. In that update, the bureau said it was continuing to analyse evidence. As AGN reported at the time, families were still waiting for the investigators’ conclusions a year after the crash.

Reuters reported on 12 November that the timing of the final report remained unclear. When published, the findings will give families and the aviation industry the investigators’ account of what happened and set out any recommendations arising from the evidence which could prevent a similar tragedy in the future.