South Africa has been ranked eighth globally for aviation safety, achieving a 95.12% compliance score in an audit by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
The score reinforces the country’s zero fatal accident rate in the commercial airline sector despite Africa’s recording the highest accident rate worldwide.
The preliminary audit outcome follows a co-ordinated validation mission (ICVM) conducted by ICAO, which assesses a state’s implementation of international aviation safety standards and the effectiveness of its oversight system.
The result marks an improvement on South Africa’s 91.23% score recorded in its 2023 full-scope audit and places the country first on the African continent.
The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) said the outcome reflects compliance with global safety standards and strengthens confidence in the country’s aviation system among international partners, airlines and investors. A high compliance score is used as a benchmark for regulatory effectiveness and is a prerequisite for sustained international connectivity and market access.
Transport minister Barbara Creecy said the result “reflects the strength of the systems we have in place and the collective effort to ensure the safety of our skies”. The director of civil aviation, Poppy Khoza, said the outcome “is further testament to the zero fatal accident rate in the commercial airline sector, which South Africa has enjoyed for over four decades”.
The audit outcome comes against the backdrop of the 2025 Safety Report by the International Air Transport Association (Iata), which found that Africa recorded seven commercial aviation accidents in 2025, the highest regional accident rate globally. The report shows that the continent’s accident rate improved from 12.13 to 7.86 per million sectors, with a sector defined as a single non-stop flight leg between two destinations.
According to Iata, 71% of accidents involving African operators occurred in turboprop aircraft. The most common incidents included runway excursions and events that could not be precisely categorised, which the association attributes to limitations in accident investigation data and reporting compliance.
Globally, Iata recorded 51 accidents across 38.7-million flights in 2025. Eight of these involved fatalities, resulting in 394 deaths on board aircraft. More than 77% of fatalities were linked to two incidents, while overall fatality risk increased from 0.06 to 0.17 per million flights.
The report further notes that airport infrastructure contributed to 16% of accidents, highlighting the role of runway environments and obstacle management in accident outcomes. It also identifies increased operational complexity linked to conflict zones, where military activity has affected flight corridors and required co-ordination between civil and defence authorities.
In addition, Iata reported a rise in Global Navigation Satellite System interference, with jamming incidents increasing by 67% between 2023 and 2025 and spoofing incidents rising by 193%, posing risks to aircraft navigation systems.
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