Planes, in Italy scheduled flights are increasingly safe. But ultralights are a problem: 12 deaths and many accidents

2024 was one of the safest periods for the Italian skies with few accidents in scheduled flights and no deceased passenger. But the past year was still archived with 18 people who lost their lives in our country as they were on board especially of ultralights. And almost always the cause was the poor knowledge of the aeronautical rules, even the elementary ones. This is what emerges from the reading of the Annual Report of the ANSV, the National Flight Security Agency.

The budget

The year spent in Italy there were 69 cases in the classified cases as « accidents » and « serious inconveniences »: of these 57s concerned the general aviation (private jets, 26) and the ultralights (31). Another 9 involved commercial planes – that is, scheduled flights – like the events that they concerned Ryanair or the particularly problematic take -off of a Latam plane in Milan Malpensa.

The « VDS » case

« In the last ten years there is a tendency to increase the victims both in the commercial and general aviation field », reads the Ansv report. « In this context, in particular, the contribution represented by the victims in the » VDS « are supported (which stands for pleasure and sporting flight, that is, the ultralights): in 2024 there are 12 of the 18 total », while the other 6 were recorded among the private jets.

Towards the « zero risk »

« If you look at accidents and serious inconveniences, the trend in Italy is constant in recent years, with 2 cases every million flights », summarizes the Courier Luca Valeriani, president of the National Flight Security Agency and a career in the Air Force. A decidedly low number, but not yet null. Is zero risk impossible to reach? « We all have to work to get to that value – Valeriani replies -, but realism tells us that it is not easy to achieve in a context in which air movements increase, as well as the congestion of the skies ».

The critical issues

For Valeriani rather than scheduled flights, the problem in our skies lies above all in the field of ultralights which, also given the technical nature of the vehicles, are not subjected to the same rigid controls as commercial aviation. « In the » VDS « there is a lack of knowledge of the rules, of the culture of going to air – criticizes the president of the ANSV -. The aerodynamic rules are not always known that then lead to make fatal errors ».

Bad weather

More attention is also paid to the impact of the weather. 2024 recorded several accidents in the world. Valeriani recalls the story that concerned a flight started from Greece and directed in the United Kingdom Which was hijacked in Italy after a turbulence injured a couple of flight attendants. « From the first evidence it seems that there is a greater impact. »

The person lacking

All this in ANSV takes place under organic. « We currently have 8-9 investigators who deal with the various investigations, against 12 provided for by the national standard, » comments the president of the agency. « And the data improved compared to the previous months when there were just 6. This explains why on some investigations they take more time to be concluded. »