A leading airline trade group says fatal commercial flight accidents increased in 2018 from a record low set in 2017.

The International Air Transport Association said Thursday 523 passengers and crew died in 11 fatal accidents last year, compared with 19 deaths in six fatal accidents in 2017.

The accident rate in 2018 was 1.35 accidents per million flights, better than the average 1.79 from 2013-2017 but higher than 1.11 in 2017.

IATA, with offices in Geneva and Montreal, says 4.3 billion passengers flew safely on 46.1 million flights in 2018.

It says “flying is safe and the data tell us that it is getting safer.”

“Based on the data, on average a passenger could take a flight every day for 241 years before experiencing an accident with one fatality.”

(AP)