Publication rates show little progress
Speaking to Reuters at the International Aviation Safety Summit on Thursday, Mark Searle, global director of safety at the International Air Transport Association (IATA), said publication rates had shown little improvement despite pressure from airline trade groups.
"I'd have expected to see more efforts to improve the current state of affairs. I don't think 50% is acceptable," Searle said. He described the rate as hovering around that level with "no real sort of forward trajectory."
Figures Searle cited in an IATA opinion piece provide a more detailed picture for accidents occurring between 2018 and 2023: 43% of investigations had not produced a published final report. Among them were 12 accidents in which a total of 242 people died.
A separate Flight Safety Foundation dataset covered accidents and serious incidents from 2018 through 2022 involving aircraft weighing more than 5,700 kg. Of the 448 cases requiring reports under ICAO Annex 13, 160, or 36%, had been completed. Those figures appeared in a working paper that the Air Crash Victims' Families' Federation International presented to ICAO's 42nd Assembly.
For broader context, IATA reported that nearly five billion people boarded 40.6 million flights in 2024. Seven fatal accidents that year resulted in 251 deaths.
Investigations still awaiting reports
Annex 13 provides the international framework for investigations intended to build safety knowledge and produce recommendations. Standard international practice generally calls for a final accident report within a year.
The publication date remains uncertain for the final report on the Air India Boeing 787 that crashed shortly after departing Ahmedabad, India, in June 2025, killing 260 people. A draft had been expected around October. The approval process calls for relevant participating countries to receive the draft for comment.
China has also not yet released a final report on the 2022 crash of a China Eastern flight.
In another case, Reuters reported in October that Saudi Arabia had opened an investigation under international rules into the September 30 cockpit stabbing aboard an Israel-bound flydubai jet. Whether Saudi authorities will issue a preliminary report remains unclear; such reports typically appear about 30 days after an incident. Neither the Saudi government nor the country's National Transport Safety Center responded to requests for comment.
Staffing constraints and sensitive cases
Hassan Shahidi, president and CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation, which organized the Montreal summit, said securing timely reports from every country remained difficult. Investigating agencies most often cite a shortage of personnel with the necessary expertise, he told Reuters. Some cases also involve the sensitivities surrounding suspected intentional downings of aircraft.
IATA has cited Air France Flight 447 as an example of an investigation that took years but produced safety changes. After the aircraft crashed in the South Atlantic in 2009, investigators needed nearly two years to locate the wreckage. They issued three preliminary reports before completing the investigation in 2012.
According to IATA, the findings prompted changes to aircraft component design, flight data recorder functionality and pilot training.
Searle said accident reports and their recommendations are essential to preventing recurrences. "When these reports aren't coming out with solid recommendations the industry can't learn."
Industry efforts and proposed changes
The push for publication predates the Montreal summit. On February 10, 2025, IFALPA published a joint position paper with ACI Europe, the Economic Commission for Africa, the Flight Safety Foundation, IATA, ICCAIA and IFATCA. The Air Crash Victims' Families' Federation International subsequently brought the issue to ICAO's 42nd Assembly through its working paper.
According to IATA, the Commission at ICAO's 2025 General Assembly acknowledged continuing concerns over investigations and delayed final reports and agreed to urge countries to release them more quickly. Other matters were sent to the relevant ICAO expert groups for further review and action.
IATA has also created a central repository called Safety Recommendations from Accident Investigation Reports, bringing together recommendations contained in publicly available final reports. Separately, it worked with ICAO and IFALPA on an infographic setting out the steps an investigation must follow to comply with Annex 13. The guide is intended for stakeholders who can influence whether investigations reach completion.
Searle has said a series of Annex 13 amendments will offer practical help. They would clarify countries' freedom to delegate investigations to another country or a regional body and to invite independent observers. The measures also emphasize unrestricted access to evidence and transparency with both the public and victims' families.
