Despite the high-profile tragedy of Malaysian Airways flight 370 and other incidents, 2014 was the safest year ever in the history of aviation, with not only fatal incidents down, but the rate as well, according to a Reuters report printed in the Toronto Globe and Mail.
Interestingly, the other Malaysian airliner lost, shot down by a missile over Ukraine, does not count in the statistics because it was intentionally downed, not an aviation accident. Even if it had been included, it would not have tipped the scales. Figures for the article are from IATA, the International Air Transport Association. MORE
