Last year was the safest since World War Two for commercial air transport, both in terms of passengers killed and aircraft destroyed or irreparably damaged, the industry's global body IATA said on Monday. IATA data showed the chances of dying in an airline accident in 2004 were one in every 10 million people flying against nearly three in 2002 and more than seven in 1996. The figures took account of varying passenger numbers over the years. Just under eight airliners were destroyed or irreparably damaged for every 10 million sectors flown -- industry jargon for the distance covered between a take-off and a landing -- compared to more than nine in 2002 and 13 in 1996. "2004 was the safest year ever for air transport," said International Air Transport Association (IATA) director general Giovanni Bisignani, hailing the figures as a victory for the body in a campaign to increase air safety. The industry regards the end of World War Two in 1945 as marking the start of large-scale commercial air traffic. --More 2331 Local Time 2031 GMT
