Eurostat data released on 16 September show that air accidents involving EU-registered aircraft killed 116 people in 2025, up from 91 in 2024. Most fatalities occurred in non-commercial operations rather than scheduled airline service, highlighting how the region’s aviation risk remains concentrated outside commercial air transport.
Eurostat recorded 109 deaths, or 94.0% of the total, in non-commercial flying. Aircraft accidents accounted for 79 fatalities, while helicopters and sailplanes each accounted for 18. Balloons caused one death, and no fatal accidents involved unmanned aircraft.
Since 2021, 638 people have died in aviation accidents in the European Union involving EU-registered aircraft. The figures do not identify individual operators, accident causes or specific events, and they cover the full year 2025 rather than a single incident.