The airline industry's 11 fatal accidents, excluding deliberate acts of sabotage, in 2004 made it the sector's safest year on record, London-based firm Airclaims reported on Wednesday.
"There has been no other time in the 60 years since World War II where the number of fatal accidents has reduced year on year for four consecutive years," said Paul Hayes, director of safety at Airclaims, which compiles airline industry data.
Some 347 passengers were killed in accidents on paying flights last year excluding deliberate acts of violence, down 60 percent from the annual average loss of life seen through the 1990s, Airclaims said.
The industry suffered 40 or 50 accidents a year a half century ago, dropping to about 25 fatal incidents annually through the 1980s and 1990s, Hayes noted.
Advances in safety equipment and procedures are helping save lives despite growth in air travel that is making both airspace and airports busier.
Excluded from the data were the bombings of two Russian airliners in August which killed 90 passengers and crew.
