The safety of air travel in the 21st century

A spate of plane crashes in recent months has shaken the public's faith in the safety of air travel.

The crash of a small medical plane in Philadelphia on Sunday, which killed seven people and injured at least 19 more, followed a mid-air collision of a plane and helicopter in Washington DC that claimed the lives of 67 just four days before. Beyond America, there were alarming, high-profile crashes in December in Kazakhstan and South Korea.

Are there more air accidents now?

Despite these recent incidents, commercial planes are still one of the safest modes of travel. Between 2018 and 2022, the fatality rate on commercial aircraft was just one per 13.7 million passenger boardings, according to data from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology cited by France 24.

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Plane deaths are, in fact, rarer now than they were between 2008 and 2017, when there was roughly one death for every 7.9 million boardings. In 2024, despite several notable crashes, the overall global accident rate remained low, at approximately 1.3 per one million flights.

What are the main causes of air accidents?

Human error accounts for "up to 80% of aviation accidents", said Euronews, according to research by the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Academy in Florida. Pilot mistakes contributed to 53% of cases, while mechanical failures were responsible for 21% of accidents. Not surprisingly, a study by plane-maker Airbus found that take-off and landing are the most dangerous moments of any flight.

How risky is flying?

Flying is far safer than driving. Since January 2009, five people have died in accidents on scheduled commercial flights in the United States. By comparison, an average of more than 100 people a day died on America’s roads and highways between 2003 and 2022, said CNN.

"When you arrive at the airport and step aboard the pressurised tube, that's the safest part of your trip. You were more at risk driving to the airport," aviation safety expert Anthony Brickhouse told CNN.

Technological advancements, strict regulations and thorough accident investigations have much improved aviation safety over the years. But some believe there is a risk of "overconfidence" in the system. "We continue to try to downplay everything and talk about how safe the system is," Ed Pierson, director of the Foundation for Aviation Safety, told CNN. "That's not the right mindset. That's the mindset that gets people killed."